Focus and Scope

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology is an official publication of Pakistan Phytopathological Society being published since 1989. PJP is an Open Access Peer Reviewed Journal aimed at publishing original as well extended version of published research in all areas of plant disease management. Quality research and review articles covering diseases of temperate and tropical plants caused biotic and abiotic factors; physiological, biochemical, molecular, ecological, genetic and economic aspects of plant pathology; disease epidemiology and modeling; and plant disease control and disease-related crop management are accepted for publication.

Section Policies

Research Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

First Reports

Editors

• Muhammad Ashfaq
• Muhammad Atiq
• Arshad Javaid
• Tariq Mukhtar
• Abdul Rehman

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Short Communications

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Review Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology is using online article submission, review and tracking system for quality and quick review processing. PJP provides rapid review process of approx. 45 days followed by rapid publication of research article.

 

Editorial board members of Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology in connection with Editor-In-Chief are bound with ethical and honest accountability to support the researchers and interested individuals. Journal provides a wide platform with humane support to newer researchers and creative individuals in the field of Plant Pathology.

 

Manuscripts submitted to Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology will be subjected to peer-review and are therefore expected to be of high quality. Manuscripts submitted for publication consideration must have the ability to make a contribution to the field of plant pathology. This contribution may be small but meaningful and forms the rubric of what our reviewers and editors look for during the review process. Journal applies a very vigorous review process in determining which articles are accepted and eventually being published. We strive for a rapid review and subsequent publication of high-quality manuscripts.

 

Submitted article is given up to the Editor-In-Chief after final checking, who examines the manuscript and decides its acceptance followed by a peer review by at least two subject experts. The corresponding author is informed through e-mail as early as possible about the editorial decision. The rejected article is always supported for a newer submission.

 

The revision should also be accompanied by a point-by-point response to referees explaining how the manuscript has been changed. The manuscript may then be sent back to the original referees or to new referees, at the Editorial Board Member's discretion.

 

When all editorial issues are resolved, manuscript is formally accepted for publication. After acceptance, authors are sent proofs of their manuscript but only typo mistakes or scientific errors are permitted. All corrections are approved by the production team. Journal reserves the right to make the final decision about matters of style and the size of figures.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

Editorial Policy

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology is aimed to publish the most exciting researches in the subjects of Plant Pathology.

 

Material submitted to PJP must be original and not published or submitted for publication elsewhere. This rule applies to material submitted elsewhere while the PJP contribution is under consideration.

Journal does not require authors to assign copyright of their published original research papers to the journal. Authors publishing with PJP retain the copyright to their work allowing the articles to be re-used and re-distributed without restriction, as long as the original work is correctly cited. The responsibility to the contents and its authenticity rests solely with the authors and they will solely be responsible for originality of published work. Journal supports the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing.

 

Articles are published under a CC-BY license (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The CC-BY license allows for maximum dissemination and re-use of open access materials and is preferred by many research funding bodies. Under this license, users are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit) and remix (adapt) the contribution including for commercial purposes, providing they attribute the contribution in the manner specified by the author or licensor

 

Manuscripts submitted for publication in PJP are peer reviewed by at least two subject reviewers. A decision of the editorial board member on the choice of reviewers is final.

 

Journal shall be published twice in a year. However, being an Online Journal, it allows for the publication of articles of urgency and critical importance to the researchers. Such articles of 'Current Interest' and relevant editorials may be published more frequently as 'Supplements', on the basis of the needs felt by the editorial board or on the requests/ suggestions of the readers of PJP.

 

Journal shall not take any responsibility for the contents of articles published and all such responsibility shall lie with the author/s. The opinions expressed in the articles are solely of the author/s and PJP may not agree with such opinions in part or in full.

Publication Ethics

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

It is necessary to agree upon standards of expected ethical behaviour for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer and the publisher.

 

Publication decisions

The responsibility of determining which articles will be published in Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology rests with its editor. The editor may consider the guidelines of the journal's editorial board and must adhere to any legal obligations related to copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may also consult with other editors or reviewers during the decision-making process.

 

Fair play

Editor will evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

 

Confidentiality

Information pertaining to a submitted manuscript in Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology will be kept confidential by the editor and editorial staff, and will only be disclosed to the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

 

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript will not be used in an editorial board or editor’s own research without the written consent of the author.

 

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

The process of peer review aids the editor in making informed editorial decisions. Additionally, it provides a means for editorial correspondence with the author, which can potentially assist in improving the quality of the paper.

 

Promptness

If a chosen referee feels inadequate to review the research presented in a manuscript, or is aware that a timely review is not feasible, they should inform the editor and withdraw themselves from the review process.

 

Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for review must be regarded as confidential documents and should not be shared or discussed with anyone, except as authorized by the editor.

 

Standards of Objectivity

During the review process, referees must maintain objectivity and avoid personal criticism of the author. Referees are expected to provide their opinions clearly, along with supporting arguments.

 

Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers are expected to highlight any pertinent published works that have not been referenced by the authors. If a reviewer notes that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported, they must provide the appropriate citation. Additionally, if a reviewer becomes aware of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and another published paper, they should bring this to the attention of the editor.

 

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Information or ideas obtained through the peer review process are privileged and must be kept confidential by the reviewers. Reviewers are prohibited from using this information for personal gain. Furthermore, reviewers must recuse themselves from considering any manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the papers.

AUTHOR’S LIABILITIES
Corresponding Author’s Responsibilities
The submitting author is responsible for all communication with Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology and managing communication between co-authors. Prior to submission, the submitting author must ensure that all authors are listed in the proper order, included in the author list, and aware that the manuscript is being submitted.
After acceptance, the corresponding author will receive the proof and will work with Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology on behalf of all co-authors. If errors in the published article result from mistakes that were present on an unchecked proof, Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology may not correct them after publication. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all content in the proof, including correct spelling of co-authors' names and up-to-date addresses and affiliations.

 

Confidential Process

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology considers all communication with authors and referees, as well as the submitted manuscript, to be confidential. The authors are also required to maintain the confidentiality of all communication with the journal. This includes correspondence with the journal, referee reports, and any other confidential material, which must not be shared publicly or posted on any website without prior permission from the editorial office, regardless of whether or not the submission is eventually published.

Reporting Standards
Research papers should provide an accurate and objective description of the work conducted and analyze its significance appropriately. The presentation of data in the article should be truthful and appropriate. Sufficient details and references should be included in the document to allow others to replicate the study. It is unethical and unprofessional to make false or incorrect claims, and such practices are not acceptable.

 

Data Access and Retention
Authors should submit raw data related to their manuscript for editorial evaluation and should be prepared to make such data publicly available, to the extent possible, in compliance with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases.

Originality and Plagiarism
It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure that their work is completely original, and that any material or language borrowed from others is appropriately acknowledged or cited.

 

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication
It is considered unethical and unacceptable for authors to submit the same findings more than once in either Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology or any other journal. Similarly, submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is also prohibited.

Acknowledgment of Sources
When submitting to Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology, authors must ensure that they appropriately acknowledge the work of others. This includes citing the relevant publications that have influenced the nature of their own research.

Authorship of the Paper
Only individuals who have made significant contributions to a study's conception, design, execution, or interpretation should be credited as authors. Such individuals should be identified as co-authors, while those who have made other contributions to the research should be acknowledged or identified as contributors.
Before submitting a manuscript for publication, the corresponding author should confirm that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the work.

 

Human or animal subjects

The author is required to clearly disclose any significant hazards related to the utilization of substances, procedures, or equipment described in the paper.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Every author is obliged to disclose any significant conflicts of interest, whether financial or otherwise, that could potentially affect the outcome or interpretation of their work. Additionally, all sources of funding for the project must be explicitly stated.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works
In the event that an author detects a critical mistake or inexactitude in their previously published work, it is their obligation to promptly inform the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with them to retract or amend the manuscript as necessary.

Referee suggestions
While authors submitting to Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology are welcome to propose independent reviewers, it is at the discretion of the editorial office to accept or reject these suggestions. Additionally, authors may indicate a preference for a small number of individuals or laboratories to not be considered for review, usually no more than two. Such exclusion requests are evaluated by the editorial office with understanding and are generally respected. However, the ultimate decision on referee selection rests with the Editorial Board Member.