Editorial Process

Editorial Process

Journal of Phytonanotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPPS) is committed to the timely publication of peer-reviewed quality articles in JPPS. JPPS requires all authors to comply fully with current ethical standards for publication in their disciplines. Manuscripts submitted to the journal must represent reports of original research, and the original data must be available for review by the editor, if necessary. All authors of a manuscript must have agreed to its submission and are responsible for its content, including appropriate citations and acknowledgments, and must also have agreed that the corresponding author has the authority to act on their behalf in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript. By submission of a manuscript to the journal, the authors guarantee that they have the authority to publish the work and that the manuscript, or one with substantially the same content, was not published previously, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. When submitting papers for publication, it is expected that the authors will provide written assurance and describe the novelty of their work or in the approach taken in their research in a covering letter. Manuscripts that are found suitable for publication in JPPS are sent to two or more reviewers. During submission, the contributor is requested to provide names of two or three qualified reviewers who have had experience in the subject of the submitted manuscript, but this is not mandatory. The reviewers should not be affiliated with the same institutes as the contributor. However, the selection of these reviewers is at the sole discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The journal follows a double-blind review process, wherein the reviewers and authors are unaware of each other’s identity. Every manuscript is also assigned to a member of the editorial team, who based on the comments from the reviewers, takes a final decision on the manuscript. The comments and suggestions (acceptance/ rejection/ amendments in manuscnpt) received from reviewers are conveyed to the corresponding authors. If required, the author is requested to provide a point by point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript. This process is repeated till reviewers and editors are satisfied with the manuscript. Manuscripts accepted for publication are copy edited for grammar, punctuation, print style and format then galley proofs are sent to the corresponding author. The corresponding author is expected to return the corrected proofs within threedays. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The whole process of submission of the manuscript to final decision and sending and receiving proofs is completed online. Papers not sufficiently substantiated by experimental detail will not be published. Any technical queries will be referred back to the author, although the Editors reserve the right to make alterations in the text without altering the technical content.

Types of manuscripts

  • Review Articles
  • Original research articles
  • Short communictions
  • Case studies

Review articles
Review articles are generally on invitation from the editor to the eminent persons in the field as it is expected that these articles would be written by individuals who have done substantial work on the subject or are considered experts in the field. However, interested people can send an abstract of their review work to the Editor-in-Chief it fits the journal scope and interest. The Editor-in-Chief will request them to send the full review article. These papers will not have empirical data acquired by the authors but will include discussion of papers published and data acquired in a specific area. We advise a length of 3000-9000 words, (including 50-150 references plus 3-5 figures and/or tables (if required).

Original research articles
Papers that include original empirical data that have not been published anywhere earlier (except as an abstract) and should not be for consideration in any other journal simultaneously. This type of paper normally should not exceed 25-30 with one and half-spaced pages of text (including references) and should not contain more than 15 figures/tables. We advise a length of 3000-6000 words (including everything).

Short communications
Short communications are urgent communications of important preliminary results that are very original, of high interest and likely to have a significant impact on the subject area of the journal. There is no strict page limit for a Short Communication; however, we advise a length of 2000-3500 words, plus 2-3 figures and/or tables, and 15-20 key references.

Case studies
Case studies or reports describe patient cases which are of particular interest due to their novelty, should be unique, describing a great diagnostic or therapeutic challenge and providing a learning point for the readers. While there are several types of case reports, originality and clinical implications constitute the main virtues by which case reports are judged. Abstract (not more than 250 words) of the Case reports should have the following sections: Aims, Presentation of Case, Discussion and Conclusion. Only Case reports have word limits: Papers should not exceed 2000 words, 20 references or 5 figures.

Note
Research papers and short communications should follow the structure of structured Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interests, Authors’Contributions, Consent (where applicable), Ethical approval (where applicable), and References plus figures and/or tables. Case studies or reports should follow the structure of Abstract, Introduction, Presentation of Case, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, Competing Interests, Authors’ Contributions, Consent (where applicable), Ethical approval (where applicable), and References plus figures and/ or tables. Abstract (not more than 250 words) of the Case reports should have the following sections: Aims, Presentation of Case, Discussion and Conclusion. Only Case reports have word limits: Papers should not exceed 2000 words, 20 references or 5 figures. Other types of papers have no word limits. Review papers may have different headings of the sections.

Brief guidelines
Manuscript should be written in Times new Roman, 10 font size with one and half spacing. Manuscripts must be supplied in a single WORD FILE (.docx format – compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 ® ™ or later) and should include all information related to the submission like the complete manuscript text, all figures, all tables, and information for reviewers. Each figure including all the panels and its corresponding legend must be presented together on its own page within the manuscript. Each table and its heading must be presented completely on its own page within the manuscript. All the figures and tables should be included in text file at the end of references.

Units and symbols
The use of the International System of Units (SI) is recommended. For meter (m), gram (g), kilogram (kg), second (s), minute (min), hour (h), mole (mol), liter (l), milliliter (ml), microliter (µl). No pluralization of symbols is followed. There shall be one character spacing between number and symbol. A zero has to be used before a decimal. Decimal numbers shall be used instead of fractions.

Only standard abbreviations should be used throughout the text. Any nonstandard abbreviation must be defined in the text following first use. In vitro, in vivo, in situ, ex vivo, ad libitum, et al. and so on are two words each and should be written in italics. None of the above is a hyphenated word. All foreign language (other than English) names and words shall be in italics as a general rule. Words such as carrageenan-induced inflammation, paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity, isoproterenol- induced myocardial necrosis, dose-dependent manner are all hyphenated.

Author(s) should provide correct nomenclature conforming with current international usage, similar to those used by Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, etc. Only chemical/generic names for drugs should be used throughout the text. After the first mention, any identification/abbreviation may be used. As far as possible, trade names and laboratory codes should be avoided. To establish identity and purity of new compounds, sufficient data including elemental analysis must be presented.

Illustrations must fit one-or two-column format of the journal. Chemical structures should be accurately drawn in single or double column width and be submitted as high contrast material for direct reproduction. A pattern should be presented as simple cross-hatch design. A single column drawing will be preferred.

Spectral data
Routine spectral data for each compound need not be included in the text. For novel compounds’ structural elucidation, IR, NMR, MS, Elemental analysis data, etc., should be provided in the text. If required, spectra can be submitted as supplementary material.

Biological data
Biological data may be presented as numerical expressions or in graphical form. Novel biological experimental procedure must be described at length/already published procedures must be referred in the text to enable others to repeat the same. Statistical significance of biological data is important. Doses and concentrations should be expressed as molar quantities. The routes of administration of test compounds and vehicles should be included.

Note: JPPS accepts manuscripts written in British English

Language and Grammar
Uniformly British English.

Write the full term for each abbreviation at its first use in the title, abstract, keywords and text separately unless it is a standard unit of measure.
Numerals at the beginning of the sentence.

Check the manuscript for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

If, a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer’s name and address (city and state/country).

Species names should be in italics

When you submit an article, the following items must be included. Manuscripts that do not adhere to the following instructions, will be returned to the corresponding author for revision before undergoing peer-review.
Cover letter

Article type: Review article/Research article/Short communication / Case studies

Subject: Phytonanotechnology and / or Pharmaceutical Sciences

Corresponding author: Name

Corresponding author: Address, City, Email, Mobile number

Title: Times New Roman, 10 sizes.

Abstract: 200-300 words

Key words: 4-6

(a) Submit as a .doc (MS 2007 version)

(b) Article file should be including following: Title, Abstract, Keywords, Main text including Tables, Graphics, Photograph, Figure and References.

Preparation of Manuscript
The manuscripts must be type-written in clear, grammatically correct English with no typographical errors. Manuscripts that do not meet the minimal requirements for English grammar and composition will be rejected immediately. Manuscripts with text that is faint or illegible or with substandard illustrations will be returned to the authors. Neatly type every portion of the manuscript with 1.5 times of spacing (a minimum of 6 mm between lines) and 2.54 cm margins on all sides, including figure legends, table footnotes and references. The manuscript should be prepared and numbered consecutively as follows: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables and Figures.

Manuscript structure

Title page
The title page should contain a title (Limit: 200 characters with spaces), full name (s) of author (s) and their affiliations. The title should be without any abbreviations and it should enlighten the contents of the paper. All affiliations should be provided with a lower-case superscript letter just after the author’s name and in front of the appropriate address.

The name of the corresponding author should be indicated along with mobile number (with country and area code) along with full postal address and e-mail address.

Abstract
The abstract should be concise and informative. It should not exceed 200-300 words in length. It should be structured in nature, i.e, it should be divided into following heads:

Purpose of this paper

Design/methodology/approach

Findings

Research limitations/implications (if applicable)

Practical implications (if applicable)

Social implications (if applicable)

What is original/value of paper

Keywords
Immediately after the abstract, about 4-8 keywords should be given. These keywords will be used for indexing.

Abbreviations
Non-standard abbreviations should be listed and full form of each abbreviation should be given in parentheses at first use in the text.

Introduction
Provide a factual background, clearly defined problem, proposed solution, a brief literature survey and the scope and justification of the work done.

Material and methods
Give adequate information to allow the experiment to be reproduced. Already published methods should be mentioned with references. Significant modifications of published methods and new methods should be described in detail. This section will include sub-sections. Tables and figures should be placed inside the text. Tables and figures should be presented as per their appearance in the text.

Describe ethical guidelines followed (for human or animal studies); cite approval of institutional human research review committee or animal welfare committee; describe in detail hazardous procedures or chemicals involved, including precautions observed. Furthermore, please outline statistical methods used.

Selection and Description of participants
Describe your selection of the observational or experimental participants (patients or laboratory animals, including eligibility and exclusion criteria and a description of the source population. Because the relevance of such variables as age and sex to clear, authors should explain their use when they are included in a study report; for example, authors should explain why only subjects of certain were excluded. The guiding principle should be clarity about how and why a study was done in a particular way. When authors use variables such define how they measured the variables and justify their relevance.

Technical information
Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient reproduce the results. Give references to established methods, including statistical methods; provide references and brief descriptions published but are not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, give reasons for using them, and evaluate their limitations. Chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration. Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the protocol, assignment of interventions concealment of allocation to treatment groups, and the method of masking (blinding).

Ethics
When reporting studies on human, indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible (institutional or regional) and when reporting experiments on animals, indicate whether the institution(s) or a national research national law on the care and use of laboratory animals was followed. Animal be as humane as possible and the details of anaesthetics and analgesics used should be clearly stated. The ethical standards of experiments must guidelines provided by the CPCSEA (animal) and ICMR (human). The journal will not consider any paper which is ethically unacceptable. A statement permission and ethical practices must be included in all research articles under the; Materials and Methods; section.

Statistics
Whenever possible quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals), (such as dropouts from a clinical trial). When data are summarized in the Results section, specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Terms in statistics, such as ‘random’ (which implies a randomizing device),

‘normal’, ‘significant’, ‘correlations’, and ‘sample’. Define statistical terms, specify the computer software used. Use upper italics (p 0.048). For all p values include the exact value and not less than 0.05 or 0.001.

Results
Results should be clearly described in a concise manner. Table or Figure numbers should be mentioned in parentheses for better understanding. Discussion purpose of the discussion is to interpret the results and relate them to the existing knowledge in the field in as clear and brief fashion as possible. Information given elsewhere in the manuscript should not be repeated in the discussion. Extensive reviews of the literature should be avoided.

The results and discussion part can also be described as together, if appropriate.

Conclusion
A short, paragraph summarizing the most important finding(s) of the research is required.

Acknowledgments
The source of any financial support, gifts, technical assistance and advice received for the work being published must be indicated in the Acknowledgments section.

References
Literature citations in the text must be indicated by Arabic numerals in bracket. Each reference separately in the order it appears in the text. The references should be cited at the end of the manuscript in the order of their appearance in the text.

Ahmad, N.; Sharma, S.; Singh, V.N.; Shamsi, S.F.; Fatma, A. and Mehta, B.R. (2011). Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from Desmodium triflorum : A novel approach towards weed utilization, Biotechnol. Res. Int., 454090(1-8).

Arora, S.; Sharma, P.; Kumar, S.; Nayan, R.; Khanna, P. and Zaidi. M. (2012). Gold-nanoparticle induced enhancement in growth and seed yield of Brassica juncea. Plant Growth Regulation, 66(3):303-310.

Bayda, S.; Adeel, M.; Tuccinardi, T.; Cordani, M. and Rizzolio, F. (2019). The history of nanoscience and nanotechnology: From chemical-physical applications to nanomedicine. Molecules, 25(1):112.

Das, D.K. (2005). Molecular soil science research and nanotechnology in agriculture. 4th   Prof. S. K. Mukherjee Commemoration Lecture. 92nd  Indian Science Congress, Nirma University of Science and Technology, Ahmedabad, January 3-7.

Fan, T.X.; Chow, S.K. and Zhang, D. (2009). Biomorphic mineralization: from biology to materials. Progress in Materials

Science. 54(5):542-659.

Authorship
There is a maximum of 8 authors of a manuscript, although all work must have been approved by all co-authors. All persons who have made substantial contributions to the work reported in the manuscript (e.g., data collection, analysis, writing or editing assistance) but who do not fulfill the authorship criteria must be named with their specific contributions in an Acknowledgment in the manuscript.

Authorship criteria
Credit should be based on the following criteria:

Substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.

Drafting the article or revising it critically for intellectual content.

Final approval of the version to be published.

Writing assistance from medical writers or agencies must be included in the Acknowledgments section, or should be given appropriate credit as authorship.

Figures and Tables
Table and Figures should not be kept at the end of the manuscript, should be embedded within the body text.

Number consecutively.

Provide a descriptive heading / legend.

Place abbreviations and footnotes immediately below the table.

Use superscript a, b, c as identifiers.

Illustrations submitted (line drawings, halftones, photos, photomicrographs, etc.) should be clean originals or digital files. Digital files are recommended for highest quality reproduction (300 dpi or higher, Sized to fit on journal page, JPEG format only).

Submit multi-panel figures, i.e., with parts labeled a,b,c,d, as one file.

Submission of manuscript.

All manuscripts should be submitted via our journal Email: (ukaaz@yahoo.com).

By doing so, you agree to the terms and conditions of submission.

Keep backup soft copies and hard copies of the material submitted.

Note:
When creating a reference list, the sources should be listed alphabetically by authors surname, should be left justified, and the references should never be preceded by a bullet-point or number. Where the author is anonymous or unknown for any one source, insert that source in the alphabetical list using the title of the source instead of the authors name. All sources should be listed together; there should not be separate lists for books versus journal articles versus electronic sources. The reference list should be on a separate page from the rest of the assignment and should be simply titled References.