Guidelines for Authors

I. Categories of Articles

JHHWB accepts the following types of manuscripts. Word counts exclude references, figure captions, and supplementary materials. See also the Open Access Policy and APC page for associated Article Processing Charges.

Descriptions follow the policy document. For APC rates, see Open Access Policy and APC.

II. General Guidelines for Submission

All manuscripts submitted to BKRF Publications must be processed through the online submission system. You may also submit your manuscript with all the necessary files through email: jhhwbsub@gmail.com.

The corresponding author is responsible for submitting the manuscript and working with the Editorial Office throughout the process. Before submission, the corresponding author should ensure that authorship criteria (ICMJE and COPE) are followed for all authors.

Cover Letter

• A cover letter must be submitted during manuscript submission, detailing the manuscript's significance.
• The corresponding author confirms that the manuscript is original and not under consideration or published elsewhere.
• The letter should confirm all authors' agreement on authorship with no disputes.
• It should also disclose any potential conflicts of interest or journal policy concerns.

III. Manuscript Framing

A brief section-wise description of a research article (as an illustrative example) is presented below:

IV. Reporting Guidelines for Various Study Types

The EQUATOR Network is the authoritative resource for finding reporting standards for various research methods. JHHWB requires authors to follow the relevant guideline for their study type:

During submission, authors should clearly state which reporting guideline(s) they have followed. During peer review, reviewers are responsible for assessing adherence to the declared reporting guidelines and reporting any deviations.

V. Declarations

Authors must include the following sections (as and where applicable), before the References:

• Ethics approval and consent to participate
• Consent for publication
• Data availability statement
• Conflicts of interest
• Funding
• Authors' contributions (CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy)
• Acknowledgements

Ethics Committee Approval

Human Subjects Research

• All research involving human participants requires prior approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
• Adherence to country-specific IRB guidelines is mandatory.
• The manuscript must explicitly state the IRB number and protocol number.
• If the study adheres to the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki principles for medical research involving humans, this should be mentioned in the Methods section.

Drug Trials

• Clinical trials involving investigational drugs require approval from the FDA or the equivalent regulatory authority in the respective country.
• This approval must be mentioned in the manuscript.

Animal Research

• All studies involving animals require prior approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

Patient Consent Form

• Voluntary Participation: Research participation must be entirely voluntary. Potential participants have the right to freely decide whether or not to participate and can withdraw from the study at any time.
• Informed Consent Process: Participants must be provided with clear and comprehensive information about the research, including its purpose, methods, potential risks and benefits, and alternative options. Participants must fully understand this information and how it relates to their own situation.
• Documentation: A statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from all participants must be included in the 'Methods' section of the manuscript.
• Consent Forms: The journal editors may request copies of the consent forms for review.

Consent for Publication

• Informed Consent: If the research involves individuals, written consent is required from the individuals themselves (or their parents/guardians if under 18) to use their information (details, images, videos) in the publication.
• Data Privacy: Personal identifiers (names, initials, hospital numbers) should generally be kept confidential unless essential for scientific reasons.
• Consent from Next of Kin: If the individual has passed away, consent for publication must be obtained from their immediate family or next of kin.
• Declaration: The manuscript must include a statement confirming that all necessary written informed consent for publication has been obtained.

Data Availability Statement

A data availability statement informs readers about the accessibility of research data associated with a published paper. The following templates may be used:

Conflict of Interest

• Transparency: Authors are obligated to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their research or its interpretation.
• Types of Conflicts: This includes financial interests (e.g., employment, grants, royalties, stocks) and non-financial interests (e.g., personal beliefs, political, religious, legal proceedings, academic competition). This also includes patent applications or registrations.
• Disclosure: All potential conflicts of interest should be clearly stated within the manuscript under a dedicated "Conflict of Interest" section.
• Undisclosed Conflicts: The publisher will handle cases of undisclosed conflicts of interest according to the guidelines of COPE.

Funding

• All sources of funding for the research must be acknowledged in the manuscript.
• Include the name of the funding agency, grant number, and any specific requirements imposed by the funding body.

Example statements:

• No external funding was received for this research.
• The funding for this research was provided by [Name of Funder], grant number [xxx].

Acknowledgements

• Acknowledge individuals who assisted with the research, such as those who provided language editing, writing support, or proofreading.
• If any AI tools were used in the research or manuscript preparation, they should be acknowledged.
• Only human researchers can be listed as authors. AI tools like ChatGPT or LLMs cannot be credited as authors.
• Authors are solely responsible for the accuracy, originality, and overall quality of the published work regardless of AI tool usage.

Authors' Contributions (CRediT)

Contributions should be clearly stated using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy):

• Conceptualization
• Data curation
• Formal analysis
• Funding acquisition
• Investigation
• Methodology
• Project administration
• Resources
• Software
• Supervision
• Validation
• Visualization
• Writing – original draft
• Writing – review & editing

VI. References

JHHWB uses ACS reference style. Key rules:

• Author count: For works with 6 or fewer authors, list all author names. For more than 6 authors, list the first 6 names followed by "et al."
• DOIs: Always include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for cited articles in the reference list.
• Author name formatting: Abbreviate authors' first and middle names to initials; provide the full surname.
• Published and accepted articles only: Cite only published or accepted work. Accepted but unpublished works should be marked "In Press." BKRF Publications discourages citing works still under peer review.
• Preprints: Clearly label preprint references as such. If the preprint has been published in a peer-reviewed journal, cite the official publication instead.
• Verbatim text: Enclose verbatim text in quotation marks and ensure the source is properly cited.
• Numbering: References should be cited in numerical order and listed sequentially. The same reference keeps its original number. Multiple references at the same location listed in ascending order, separated by commas.

Example Citations

Journal Articles

Johnson, R. T.; Mills, K. B.; Davies, M. P. Visual Perception in Comparative Cognitive Tasks. Cognition, 1982, 45(3), 712–725.

Peterson, H.; Gray, J.; Alvarez, N.; Li, Z.; Yamada, K.; Morrison, B.; et al. Calcium Signaling and Nitric Oxide Production in Cultured Neurons: A Chemoluminescence Approach. Brain Res., 2005, 812, 22–35.

Edited Book

Stevens, M. E. Memories of a Cognitive Explorer; Harper & Row: London, 1975.

Book Chapter

Brown, L. G.; Taylor, A. R.; Gupta, S. P. Tribological Interfaces in Soft Material Processing. In Tribology Series: Vol. 30. Mechanisms of Friction and Wear; Dowson, D., Series Ed.; Elsevier: Paris, 1996; pp 310–311.

Patents

Patel, N.; Verma, K.; Singh, A.; Rao, V. Advanced Algorithms for Predictive Maintenance in Industrial Automation. U.S. Patent 12039174, 2024.

Conference Proceeding

Harrison, W.; Clark, J. Monitoring and Updating Web Content Automatically. In Proceedings of the 2002 ACM Symposium on Web Technologies, 2002.

Online Resource

Smith, J. D. The History of Chemistry; American Chemical Society; 2023 (accessed 2024-07-05). https://www.acs.org/.

VII. Manuscript File Formats

Submit your manuscript in an editable format (preferably MS Word) to ensure smooth review and production. Non-editable files may require resubmission in the correct format.

Points to Consider

• Use double-line spacing throughout the document.
• Include both line and page numbers in the manuscript.
• Ensure all special characters are embedded properly.
• Avoid inserting page breaks within the manuscript.

VIII. Nomenclature

• Equations: Insert equations in an editable format using the equation editor.
• Gene Symbols: Italicize gene symbols; use only approved nomenclature (e.g., HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) for human genes). Alternative aliases can be mentioned but should not replace the official gene symbol.
• Chemical Compounds & Biomolecules: Use systematic nomenclature following IUPAC guidelines. Report quantities and units using the International System of Units (SI).
• Astronomical Objects: Follow the naming conventions recommended by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
• Mathematical Equations: Ensure equations are in editable form, preferably inserted via the equation editor and placed within the normal text flow. Use a solidus (/) for fractional terms rather than a horizontal line. Italicize variables and use "exp" for powers of 'e'. Number equations consecutively if they are referenced in the text.

IX. Figures and Tables

Figures

Tables

• Tables should be cited sequentially in the text and provided as editable Word files, not images.
• Table captions appear above the table.
• Tables with multiple parts should be listed under Supplementary files due to formatting issues.
• Cite tables using "Table 1," with the number in bold.
• Avoid duplicating information or repeating results in the manuscript.
• Avoid shading or vertical rules in table cells.

X. Supplementary Materials

BKRF Publications allows supplementary materials to accompany articles, enhancing content and providing additional resources for readers. For manuscripts with significant or innovative methodologies, authors are encouraged to include supplementary online materials such as:

• Equations, data treatment, syntax code, example data
• Code books, case descriptions, research context, detailed narratives
• Images, sound clips, and method applications

Guidelines

• File revisions: If any changes are needed, submit a completely new version instead of a correction list. Supplementary files are published as submitted, with no formatting applied by the publisher.
• In-text citations: Include a section titled "Supportive/Supplementary Material" after the Conclusion section, listing and describing each file.
• Online format: Supplementary materials will be linked on the website in the exact format submitted.
• File size: All supplementary files should be combined into a single zip file, not exceeding 4 MB. Each file should represent a single table, figure, or movie.

Recommended File Formats

• Data: Word, Excel, CSV, CDX, FASTA, PDF, or ZIP
• Presentations: PowerPoint, PDF, or ZIP
• Images: CDX, JPEG, EPS, TIFF, or PNG (300 DPI, RGB color mode)
• Audio: MP3
• Video: MOV, MPG, AVI, or MPEG

XI. Language Editing

Authors are advised to have their manuscripts reviewed by a native English speaker or use professional editing services to reduce the risk of rejection due to language errors. Manuscripts with grammatical or typographical errors will be returned for correction before further review.

BKRF Publications offers professional language editing services at discounted rates for authors needing assistance. Contact person: Dr. Rocktotpal Konwarh (rock@bkrfoundation.com).

XII. Specific Policy

JHHWB upholds the highest ethical standards. We adhere to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for handling issues such as retractions, corrections (errata), withdrawals, and expressions of concern.

• Accuracy and Reliability: We prioritize rigorous fact-checking and strive for the utmost accuracy in all published content.
• Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions are made independently and free from external influence.
• Transparency and Openness: We maintain transparency by disclosing potential conflicts of interest and ensuring proper attribution for all sources.
• Diversity and Inclusion: We value diversity and strive to represent a wide range of perspectives in our publications.
• Data Privacy: We are committed to protecting the privacy of individuals and comply with all relevant data protection laws.
• Respect for Intellectual Property: We fully respect copyright and other forms of intellectual property rights.
• Non-Discrimination: We have a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination in all aspects of our operations.
• Accountability: We take responsibility for the content we publish and address any concerns or issues promptly and effectively.

Correcting Mistakes / Retraction Policy

• Errata: We publish corrections to minor factual errors as "errata." Authors can submit a correction online (or through email), specifying the error(s) and the affected parts of the manuscript. All authors must agree to the correction. Depending on the severity, corrections may require peer review.
• Retractions: More serious errors, plagiarism, or misconduct may lead to retracting an article entirely. Retracted articles will be clearly marked and linked to a retraction statement. The original version will be archived online with a "retracted" watermark, and relevant databases and indexes will be updated.
• Withdrawals: In rare cases, articles may be withdrawn due to ethical concerns, fraudulent research, or legal issues. We will investigate any such concerns and issue a withdrawal notice with a clear explanation.
• Expressions of Concern: If there are questions about the validity of an article, we may issue an "expression of concern" as a temporary measure while the issue is under review. This is not a confirmation of retraction or correction.

How to Raise Concerns

If you disagree with a retraction or have concerns about any published content, you can file a complaint with the journal editor or directly with BKRF. We will investigate all complaints thoroughly.