Submissions

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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word file format.
  • Where available, DOIs for the references have been provided.
  • The text is single-spaced; uses Times New Roman 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

Author Guidelines

The Medical Journal of Armed Police Force Nepal (MJAPFN) is a peer reviewed, open-access, multidisciplinary biomedical journal published biannually as the official publication of the Armed Police Force Hospital, Nepal. MJAPFN publishes research across medicine, dentistry, nursing, public health, epidemiology, and allied health sciences, with emphasis on clinical/basic medical sciences, disaster and military medicine, healthcare management, and medical education.

MJAPFN strictly follow to international publishing ethics and best practices, guided by ICMJE, COPE, WAME, and CSE.

All published articles are freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Authors retain copyright and grant MJAPFN a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute. There are currently no submission, processing, or publication charges; any future changes will be transparently announced.

Focus and Scope

MJAPFN welcomes high-quality submissions in the following categories:

  • Original Research Articles
  • Review Articles
  • Case Reports and Case Series
  • Short Communications / Brief Reports
  • Clinical Experiences
  • Medical Education
  • Viewpoints
  • Letters to the Editor

The journal particularly encourages work related to clinical/basic sciences, public health, epidemiology, military/disaster medicine, healthcare management, and medical education.

Authorship and Contributorship

MJAPFN follows ICMJE authorship criteria. Each author must contribute substantially, participate in drafting/revising, approve the final version, and accept accountability. Author contributions must be declared using the CRediT taxonomy. ORCID iDs are strongly recommended. Authorship changes after submission require written explanation, signed agreement from all authors, and editorial approval.

AI Use Policy: Only humans can be authors. Use of AI tools is permitted for language editing, translation, reference formatting, or code assistance, but must be disclosed in a formal AI Use Statement (tool, provider, version, dates, and scope). AI may not be used to generate data, participants, citations, or analyses. Confidential/unpublished manuscripts may not be uploaded to public AI systems.

Research Ethics, Approvals & Data Sharing

  • Human and animal studies require ethics committee approval with name and reference number.
  • Clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a WHO-recognized or ICMJE-approved registry, with registration number in the abstract.
  • Written consent is required for identifiable data/images, stated in the manuscript.
  • A Data Availability Statement must accompany clinical trials. We encourage depositing datasets in repositories such as Zenodo, Dryad, and Figshare with DOIs.
  • Use RRIDs for biological resources.

Reporting Guidelines

Authors should comply with standard reporting guidelines relevant to their study design, such as:

  • CONSORT:  Randomized Controlled Trials
  • STROBE: Observational Studies
  • PRISMA 2020: Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
  • CARE: Case Reports
  • SPIRIT: Clinical Trial Protocols
  • STARD: Diagnostic Accuracy Studies
  • TREND: Nonrandomized Behavioral & Public Health Interventions
  • COREQ: Qualitative Research
  • CHEERS: Health Economic Evaluations
  • ARRIVE 2.0.: Animal Studies

A comprehensive list of reporting guidelines can be accessed through the EQUATOR Network).

Format and Require Documentation

  • Cover letter
  • Authorship Declaration and Agreement
    (authors, affiliations, corresponding author, funding, Conflict of Interest, ethics approval, trial registration, data availability, AI Use Statement and Agreement)
  • Title page
  • Blinded manuscript
  • Ethical Approval letter (for original article)
  • Patient consent (for identifiable data/images)
  • Figures/tables with permissions
  • Supplementary files with DOIs where possible

Manuscript Rejection

Manuscripts may be rejected for reasons including, but not limited to:

  • Lack of originality or novelty
  • Methodological flaws
  • Failure to follow submission guidelines
  • Plagiarism or publication misconduct
  • Poor language quality
  • Out-of-scope content

Preliminary rejection may occur for incomplete or incorrectly formatted submissions. Authors may be invited to revise and resubmit when appropriate.

Peer Review

MJAPFN operates a double-blind peer review. Submissions undergo initial screening for scope, formatting, and originality. At least two independent reviewers evaluate each manuscript; a third may be consulted if recommendations conflict. Decisions: Accept; Minor Revision; Major Revision; Resubmit Elsewhere; Decline.

Timelines: Initial decision 7–14 days; peer review 6–12 weeks; publication within ~6 months. Authors must provide a point-by-point response to reviewers. Reviewers and editors must declare conflicts of interest and maintain confidentiality.

Misconduct, Plagiarism & Retractions

All submissions undergo similarity checks (iThenticate/Turnitin). Forms of plagiarism include verbatim copying, patchwriting, inadequate paraphrasing, reuse of visuals without permission, translation plagiarism, and redundant/self‑plagiarism. Serious/willful cases result in rejection or retraction, following COPE guidance. Citation manipulation, data/image falsification, and peer-review manipulation are prohibited.

Publication and Decision Timeline

  • Initial Decision: 7–14 days (without external review)
  • Peer Review Process: Usually completed within 6–12 weeks
  • Final Decision & Publication: Most accepted manuscripts are published within 6 months.

Authors are advised to check their submission status regularly and ensure that editorial communications are not filtered into spam/junk folders.

Manuscript Categories & Word Limits

Original Article
Word Limit (excl. refs): 2,000-2,500 words
Abstract: ≤250 words (structured)
References: at least 15 and not exceeding 30

Review Article
Word Limit (excl. refs): At least 2,000 words, not exceeding 3,000 words
Abstract: ≤250 words (structured)
References: at least 30 and not exceeding 50

Case Report / Case Series
Word Limit (excl. refs): ≤1,000 words
Abstract: ≤150 words
References: at least 5 and not exceeding 10

Viewpoint
Word Limit (excl. refs): ≤1,500 words
References: up to 10

Letter to the Editor
Word Limit (excl. refs): ≤500 words
References: 5

Note:

  • Original Articles: reference counts should be appropriate to the study (no strict limit).
  • Clinical Experiences: ≤1,500 words; abstract ≤150 words; up to 10 references.

Referencing & Citations

Every article receives a DOI; corrections/retractions are linked to the original record. We recommend CrossrefCrossmark for version control and update transparency. MJAPFN uses the Vancouver (ICMJE) numeric style:

In text: sequential superscript numbers (1,2,3…), reusing numbers for repeat citations.

Reference list: numbered in citation order; list up to 6 authors, then “et al.”; include DOIs where available.

Examples

  • Journal article: Shrestha R, Adhikari P, Lama S, et al. Title of article. Med J APF Nepal. 2025;1(1):5 10. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
  • Book: Gordis L. Epidemiology. 6th ed. Elsevier; 2019.
  • Chapter: Smith J. Disaster triage. In: Brown T, ed. Military Medicine. Springer; 2022:45 63.
  • Webpage: World Health Organization. Oxygen sources and distribution. Published 2023. Accessed 1 Sep 2025. WHO site
  • Dataset: Khanal S. Trauma registry (v2) [dataset]. Zenodo; 2023. doi:10.xxxx/zenodo.xxxxx
  • Software: R Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation; 2025. R Project

Your original “Citations, DOIs & Article Updates” section is preserved here and augmented with the formal Vancouver style specification and examples.

Contact Inquiry 

Medical Journal of Armed Police Force Nepal (MJAPFN)
Nepal APF Hospital, Balambu, Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: +977-01-4315224
Email: editor@mjapfn.org.np

Copyright Notice

Authors retain copyright and grant MJAPFN a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute.

Privacy Statement

Nepal Journals Online (NepJOL) is a member of the Ubiquity Partner Network coordinated by Ubiquity Press. According to the EU definitions, NepJOL is the data controller, and Ubiquity Press are the service providers and data processors. Ubiquity Press provide the technical platform and some publishing services to NepJOL and operate under the principle of data minimisation where only the minimal amount of personal data that is required to carry out a task is obtained.

More information on the type of data that is required can be found in Ubiquity Press’ privacy policy below.

Ubiquity Press Privacy Policy

We take seriously our duty to process your personal data in a fair and transparent way. We collect and manage user data according to the following Privacy Policy. This document is part of our Terms of Service, and by using the press portal, affiliated journals, book, conference and repository websites (the “Websites”), you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service. Please read the Terms of Service in their entirety, and refer to those for definitions and contacts.

What type of personal data do we handle?

There are four main categories of personal data stored by our journal platform, our press platform, and our book management system; Website User data, Author data, Reviewer data and Editor data.

The minimum personal data that are stored are:

  • full name
  • email address
  • affiliation (department, and institution)
  • country of residence

Optionally, the user can provide:

  • salutation
  • gender
  • associated URL
  • phone number
  • fax number
  • reviewing interests
  • mailing address
  • ORCiD
  • a short biography
  • interests
  • Twitter profile
  • LinkedIn profile
  • ImpactStory profile
  • profile picture

The data subjects have complete control of this data through their profile, and can request for it to be removed by contacting info@ubiquitypress.com

What do we do to keep that data secure?

We regularly backup our databases, and we use reliable cloud service providers (Amazon, Google Cloud, Linode) to ensure they are kept securely. Backups are regularly rotated and the old data is permanently deleted. We have a clear internal data handling policy, restricting access to the data and backups to key employees only. In case of a data breach, we will report the breach to the affected users, and to the press/journal contacts within 72 hours.

How do we use the data?

Personal information is only used to deliver the services provided by the publisher. Personal data is not shared externally except for author names, affiliations, emails, and links to ORCiD and social media accounts (if provided) in published articles and books which are displayed as part of the article/book and shared externally to indexes and databases. If a journal operates under open peer review then the reviewer details are published alongside the reviewer details.

How we collect and use your data:

1. When using the website

1.1 what data we collect

  • When you browse our website, we collect anonymised data about your use of the website; for example, we collect information about which pages you view, which files you download, what browser you are using, and when you were using the site.
  • When you comment on an article or book using Disqus, we are not collecting, controlling or processing the data. More details on the DISQUS privacy policy can be found on their website.
  • When you annotate an article or book, this is done via a 3rd party plugin to the website called Hypothes.is. In using this plugin we are not collecting, controlling or processing the data. More details on the Hypothes.is privacy policy can be found on their website.

1.2 why we collect the data

  • We use anonymised website usage data to monitor traffic, help fix bugs, and see overall patterns that inform future redesigns of the website, and provide reports on how frequently the publications on our site have been accessed from within their IP ranges.

1.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

  • We do not collect personal information that can be used to identify you when you browse the website.
  • We currently use Google Analytics for publication reports, and to improve the website and services through traffic analysis, but no personal identifying data is shared with Google (for example your computer’s IP is anonymised before transmission).

1.4 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

  • Please contact info@ubiquitypress.com to request a copy of your data, or for your data to be removed/anonymised.

2. When registering as an author, and submitting an article or book

2.1 what data we collect

  • When registering an account we ask you to log in and provide certain personal information (such as your name and email address), and there is the option to register using an ORCiD which will pre-fill the registration form.
  • As part of submitting an article for publication, you will need to provide personally identifying information which will be used for the peer review process, and will be published. This can include ‘Affiliation’, ‘Competing interests’, ‘Acknowledgements’.

2.2 why we collect the data

  • Registering an account allows you to log in, manage your profile, and participate as an author/reviewer/editor. We use cookies and session information to streamline your use of the website (for example in order for you to remain logged-in when you return to a journal). You can block or delete cookies and still be able to use the websites, although if you do you will then need to enter your username and password to login. In order to take advantage of certain features of the websites, you may also choose to provide us with other personal information, such as your ORCiD, but your decision to utilize these features and provide such data will always be voluntary.
  • Personal data submitted with the article or book is collected to allow follow good publication ethics during the review process, and will form part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.

2.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

  • We do not share your personal information with third parties, other than as part of providing the publishing service.
  • As a registered author in the system you may be contacted by the journal editor to submit another article.
  • Any books published on the platform are freely available to download from the publisher website in PDF, EPUB and MOBI formats on the publisher’s site.
  • Any personal data accompanying an article or a book (that will have been added by the submitting author) is published alongside it. The published data includes the names, affiliations and email addresses of all authors.
  • Any articles published on the platform are freely available to download from the publisher website in various formats (e.g. PDF, XML).
  • Ubiquity Press books and articles are typeset by SiliconChips and Diacritech.This process involves them receiving the book and book associated metadata and contacting the authors to finalise the layout. Ubiquity Press work with these suppliers to ensure that personal data is only used for the purposes of typesetting and proofing.
  • For physical purchases of books on the platform Ubiquity Press use print on demand services via Lightning Source who are responsible for printing and distribution via retailers. (For example; Amazon, Book Repository, Waterstones). Lightning Source’s privacy policy and details on data handling can be found on their website.

2.4 why we store the data

  • We store the account data so that you may choose to become a reviewer and be able to perform those tasks, or to become an author and submit an article and then track progress of that article.
  • Published personal data that accompanies an article or a book forms part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.

2.5 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

  • You are able to view, change and remove your data associated with your profile. Should you choose to completely delete your account, please contact us at support@ubiquitypress.com and we will follow up with your request as soon as possible.
  • To conform to publication ethics and best practice any personal data that is published alongside an article or book cannot be removed. If you have a query about a publication to which you are attributed please contact info@ubiquitypress.com

3. When registering as a reviewer

3.1 what data we collect

  • To become a reviewer you must first register as a user on the website, and set your preference that you would like to be considered as a reviewer. No new personal data is collected when a registered user elects to become a reviewer.
  • When registering an account we ask you to log in and provide certain personal information (such as your name and email address), and there is the option to register using an ORCiD which will pre-fill the registration form.
  • Reviewers can also be registered by editors who invite them to review a specific article. This requires the editor to provide the reviewer’s First Name, Last Name, and Email address. Normally this will be done as part of the process of inviting you to review the article or book.
  • On submitting a review, the reviewer includes a competing interest statement, they may answer questions about the quality of the article, and they will submit their recommendation.

3.2 why we collect the data

  • The data entered is used to invite the reviewer to peer review the article or book, and to contact the reviewer during and the review process.
  • If you submit a review then the details of your review, including your recommendation, your responses to any review form, your free-form responses, your competing interests statement, and any cover letter are recorded.

3.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

  • This data is not shared publicly and is only accessible by the Editor and system administrators of that journal or press.
  • The data will only be used in connection with that journal or press.
  • Data that is retained post final decision is kept to conform to publication ethics and best practice, to provide evidence of peer review, and to resolve any disputes relating to the peer review of the article or book.
  • For journals or presses that publish the peer reviews, you will be asked to give consent to your review being published, and a subset of the data you have submitted will become part of the published record.

3.4 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

  • If you would no longer like to be registered as a reviewer you can edit your profile and tick the box ‘stop being a reviewer’. This will remove you from the reviewer database, however any existing reviews you may have carried out will remain.
  • If you have been contacted by an editor to peer review an article this means that you have been registered in the system. If you would not like to be contacted for peer review you can reply to the email requesting that your data be deleted.

4. When being registered as a co-author

4.1 what data we collect

  • Co-author data is entered by the submitting author. The submitting author will already have a user account. According to standard publishing practice, the submitting author is responsible for obtaining the consent of their co-authors to be included (including having their personal data included) in the article/book being submitted to the journal/press.
  • The requested personal data for co-authors are at the bare minimum; first name, last name, institution, country, email address. This can also include; ORCID ID, Title, Middle Name, Biographical Statement, Department, Twitter Handle, Linkedin Profile Name or ImpactStory ID.

4.2 why we collect the data

  • Assuming that it is accepted for publication, this data forms part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.
  • Author names, affiliations and emails are required for publication and will become part of the permanent cited record.

4.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

  • The co-author’s personal data is stored in the author database. This personal data is only used in relation to the publication of the associated article.
  • Any co-author data collected is added to the author database and is only used in association with the article the user is co-author on.

4.5 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

  • To receive a copy of your data, please contact info@ubiquitypress.com
  • To conform to publication ethics and best practice any personal data that is published alongside an article or book cannot be removed. If you have a query about a publication to which you are attributed please contact info@ubiquitypress.com

5. When signing-up to receive newsletters

5.1 what data we collect

  • We require you to include your name and email address

5.2 why we collect and store the data, and for how long

  • This data would be collected to keep you updated with any news about the platform or specific journal

5.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

  • We use mailchimp to provide our mailing list services. Their privacy policy can be found here

5.4 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data or want your data to be removed

  • All emails sent via our newsletter client will include a link that will allow you to unsubscribe from the mailing list

Notification about change of ownership or of control of data

We may choose to buy or sell assets. In the case that control of data changes to or from Ubiquity Press and a third party, or in the case of change of ownership of Ubiquity Press or of part of the business where the control of personal data is transferred, we will do our best to inform all affected users and present the options.

(Updated: 27 January 2026)