Pulsus Group aims to inform and help physicians, scientists, health care providers and those in related professions advance quality and innovation in patient care.
Editorial Process & Peer Review Policy
The success of Pulsus Group is a direct reflection of our dedicated team of peer reviewers who critically evaluate manuscript submissions. These reviews assist the Editorial Boards in making publication decisions, and guide auth ors in strengthening their professional writing. Reviewers provide objective, insightful and rigorous critiques of submitted manuscripts, enhancing the clinical relevance and scientific quality of articles published in Pulsus journals, and helping physicians, scientists, health care prfessionals and those in related professions advance quality and innovation in patient care.
All manuscripts are peer reviewed following the protocol outlined below. Please note that special issues and/or conference proceedings may have different peer-review protocols involving, for example, guest editors, conference organizers or scientific committees. This will be communicated to the contributing authors in these cases.
Authors may submit their manuscripts through the journal's online submission and tracking system which is located at https://www.pulsus.com/submit-manuscript.html
Initial Manuscript Evaluation
The Editors-in-Chief evaluates all manuscripts on initial submission. Manuscripts rejected before being sent to review generally have serious scientific flaws, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Those that meet the minimum criteria are assigned to an Associate Editor, who will select two (or more) peer reviewers with expertise in the subject matter.
Type of Peer Review
Pulsus Group generally uses ‘double blind’ reviewing, in which the referees and author remain anonymous throughout the process.
Selection of Referees
Pulsus Group attempts to prevent conflicts of interest by not inviting reviewers from the same institution(s) as the authors. However, previous relationships or places of employment may not be apparent. In our invitation to potential reviewers, we ask that they decline to review if they know or can reasonably guess the identity of the author.
Editorial decisions are not based on counting votes or performing numerical rank assessments. The strength of the arguments raised by each reviewer and by the authors are evaluated. Pulsus Group’s
primary responsibilities are to its readers and to the scientific community at large and, in deciding how best to serve them, each journal must weigh the claims of each manuscript against the many others also under consideration. However, when reviewers agree to assess a manuscript, the journal considers this a commitment to review subsequent revisions; the journal endeavours to keep consultation to an absolute minimum to avoid drawing authors and reviewers into any protracted disputes.
Reviewers will not be sent revised manuscripts unless the authors have made a serious attempt to address the criticisms.
Referees are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Language correction/revision is not part of the peer-review process
How Long Does the Review Process Take?
Once the appropriate reviewers have been identified, they are sent an invitation and asked to respond within one week to 10 days (at which point it will be sent to an alternate). Reviewers who accept the invitation are asked to complete the review within 14 days. Reviewers who agree to evaluate manuscripts but do not return comments by the due date may be replaced with alternates to maintain the timelines of review process. Should the referees’ reports contradict one another or a report is unnecessarily delayed, an additional expert opinion will be sought.
Final Report
There are several possible decisions: to accept or reject the manuscript outright; to request minor or major revisions; and to accept or reject after revision(s). Referees and/or Associate Editors may request more than one revision of a manuscript. This decision will be sent to the author in addition to any recommendations made by the referees, and may include verbatim comments by the referees. Reviewers and editors are expected to provide comments and critiques in a confidential, constructive, prompt and unbiased manner appropriate for their position of responsibility.
Collegiality, respect for the author’s dignity, and the search for ways to improve the quality of the manuscript should characterize the review process.
Manuscript submission:
Electronic submission of manuscripts is strongly encouraged. Online manuscript submission, review and tracking system, Immediate publication tentatively within two months of Initial submission. Submit manuscript at https://www.pulsus.com/submit-manuscript.html
The cover letter should include the corresponding author's full address and telephone/fax numbers and should be in an e-mail message sent to the Editor, with the file, whose name should begin with the first author's surname, as an attachment. The authors may also suggest two to four reviewers for the manuscript (Pharmaceutical Science may designate other reviewers).
TEXT
Text files must be saved as .doc files. TABLES: Type double-spaced, on a separate page from the rest of the text with the table number above the table and explanatory notes below. Table numbers should appear in Arabic numerals and should correspond to the order of the tables in the text. If abbreviations are used, an alphabetical listing must be included in the footnote. Written permission from the publisher to reproduce any previously published tables must be included.
FIGURE LEGENDS: Type double-spaced, separate from the rest of the text, with figure numbers corresponding to the order in which figures are presented in the text. Identify all abbreviations appearing on figures in alphabetical order at the end of each legend. Enough information should be given to allow interpretation of the figure without reference to the text. Written permission must be obtained from the publisher to reproduce any previously published figures.
FIGURES
VIDEO
All videos must be submitted in AVI or MPEG format.
MANUSCRIPTS
All manuscripts must be accompanied by a covering letter detailing what is being submitted and indicating the author to whom we should address correspondence and page proofs in the case of multiple authors (please include a contact address, telephone/fax numbers and e-mail address). Author must sign a publishing agreement supplied by Pulsus Group upon acceptance for publication
Abbreviations must be defined at first mention in the text. All measurements should be in SI units. Appropriate headings and subheadings should be provided in the methods, results and discussion sections. References, figures and tables should be cited in the text with numbers assigned according to the order of mention in the text. Arrange the manuscript as follows: title page, summary, structured abstract and key words, introduction, methods, results, discussion, acknowledgements, references, figure legends, tables and figures. Do not import figures into the text file. Number the pages consecutively, beginning with the title page as 1. The last name of the first author should be typed at the top of each page.
TITLE PAGE: In addition to the main title, a short running title of 45 characters or less and the authors’ names (including full, first or middle names) along with their credentials (eg, MD, PhD, MSc, BSc, etc) and affiliations, should appear on the title page. Include the name of the institution from which the work originated.
ABSTRACT: On a separate page, type a structured abstract of no more than 250 words for major articles (including review articles). Abstracts for case reports need not be structured, but are limited to 150 words. The abstract should be substantive rather than purely descriptive. Abbreviate only standard units of measurement.
KEY WORDS: At the end of the abstract, include a list of 3 to 6 Key Words for indexing purposes
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Brief acknowledgements may appear at the end of the text, before the references.
REFERENCES: Identify references in the text by Arabic numerals in parentheses on the line. Type the reference list double-spaced, separate from the text, with each reference numbered consecutively in the order that it is mentioned in the text. References cited in figures and tables, but not in the text, should also be numbered following the text references. Personal communications, manuscripts in preparation and other unpublished data should not be cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text in parentheses. Identify abstracts with the abbreviation ‘Abst’ and letters to the editor by ‘Lett’ in parentheses; abstracts should not be cited if they are more than 2 years old.
The style of references is that of Index Medicus. Journal references should contain inclusive page numbers; book references, specific page numbers; and Web site references, the date of last update, if available, and date of access (references to other types of electronic documents should include the format of the document). Abbreviations of journals should conform to those used in Index Medicus, National Library of Medicine. URLs should be included for all references publicly accessible via the Internet. The style and punctuation of references are as follows:
Periodicals:
List all authors if 6 or fewer; otherwise, list first 3 and add ‘et al’. Do not use periods after authors’ initials.
1. Kohl P, Day K, Noble D, et al. Cellular mechanisms of cardiac mechano-electric feedback in a mathematical model. Can J Cardiol 1998;14:111-9.
Books:
2. Svensson LG, Crawford ES. Cardiovascular and Vascular Disease of the Aorta. Toronto: WB Saunders Company, 1997:184-5.
Chapter in book:
3. Trehan S, Anderson JL. Thrombolytic therapy. In: Yusuf S, Cairns JA, eds. Evidence Based Cardiology. London: BMJ Books, 1998:419-44.
POLICY ISSUES: All statements and opinions are the responsibility of the authors. With submission of the manuscript, a letter of transmittal must indicate that all authors have participated in the research, and have reviewed and agree with the content of the article. The publisher reserves copyright on all published material, which then may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: All authors must disclose any commercial associations or other arrangements (eg, financial compensation received, patient-licensing arrangements, potential to profit, consultancy, stock ownership, etc) that may pose a conflict of interest in connection with the article. This information will be made available to the editor and reviewers, and may be included as a footnote at the editor’s discretion.
ETHICS OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS: If human subjects are involved, the text must indicate that all gave informed consent and that the protocol was approved by the institutional review committee. If experimental animals are used, provide a statement in the text to indicate that all procedures followed were in accordance with institutional policies.
PROOFS: Authors should keep a copy of their original manuscripts as page proofs will be sent to them without the manuscript. To avoid delays in publication, authors are required to return proofs within 48 hours by fax or e-mail.
REPRINTS: Single reprints may be obtained from the author. Reprints in quantity must be purchased from Pulsus Group. Reprints may not be purchased without the author’s permission.
