Submission Checklist
Before submitting your manuscript to a Research Pillars Publishing journal, please confirm the following. This checklist reflects the journal's editorial requirements and EQUATOR Network reporting standards.
Scope and Fit
· The manuscript falls within the aims and scope of the journal you are submitting to.
· You have selected the correct article type (Original Research, Review, Case Report, Short Communication, etc.).
· The manuscript is not currently under review and has not been published in any other journal.
Reporting Guideline Compliance (EQUATOR Network)
· Authors must prepare their manuscript according to the appropriate EQUATOR Network reporting guideline for their study design (CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, CARE, STARD/STARD-AI, TRIPOD/TRIPOD+AI, SPIRIT, ARRIVE, SQUIRE, CHEERS, or other applicable guideline—see the journal's Reporting Guidelines page for the full list) and submit the completed checklist alongside the manuscript.
· The correct reporting guideline has been identified for the study type.
· The completed reporting checklist is uploaded as a supplementary file, with item locations (page/line numbers) indicated.
· Any flow diagram required by the guideline (e.g., CONSORT participant flow, PRISMA study selection) is included.
· Where a study does not clearly map to an existing guideline (e.g., novel AI methodology), this is noted in the cover letter for editorial guidance.
Manuscript File and Formatting
· The manuscript is prepared in the required format/template (Word or LaTeX, PDF as specified).
· The title is concise, specific, and accurately reflects the content.
· The abstract meets the word limit and is structured as required (structured/unstructured, per article type).
· 4–6 keywords are provided.
· References follow the journal's citation style and are complete and verifiable.
· Tables and figures are numbered, captioned, and cited in-text; figures are submitted at the required resolution.
· The manuscript is free of author-identifying information if double-blind review is required.
Authorship
· All listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria (e.g., ICMJE) and have approved the final version.
· Author names, affiliations, and ORCID iDs (where required) are complete and correctly ordered.
· The corresponding author is clearly identified, with a valid email address.
· Any change in authorship after submission will be handled per the journal's authorship change policy.
Ethics and Compliance
· Ethics approval and consent statements are included where the research involves human participants, animals, or identifiable patient data.
· Informed consent (including for any identifiable images or case details) has been obtained and is stated in the manuscript.
· Any clinical trial is registered, with the registration number provided, per ICMJE and SPIRIT/CONSORT requirements.
· Conflicts of interest / competing interests are disclosed for all authors, or a “none declared” statement is included.
· Funding sources are acknowledged, including the funder's role (if any) in the study design, analysis, or decision to publish.
Originality and Data
· The manuscript is the authors' original work and has been screened for plagiarism prior to submission.
· Any use of generative AI tools in preparing the manuscript, or as part of the study methodology, is disclosed, per the journal's GenAI policy.
· Data availability is stated, including how to access underlying data or code (particularly for AI/ML studies) or why it cannot be shared.
· Permissions have been obtained for any reproduced material (figures, tables, extended quotations) from other copyrighted sources.
Supporting Documents
· A cover letter is included, addressed to the editor-in-chief, briefly stating the manuscript's relevance and confirming it is not under consideration elsewhere.
· The completed EQUATOR reporting guideline checklist is attached (see Section 2).
· Suggested reviewers (with affiliations and contact details) are provided, if requested, along with any reviewers to exclude and the reason.
· Supplementary files (raw data, appendices, extended methods) are included, correctly labelled.
· A signed authorship/copyright or licensing agreement is attached, if required at the submission stage.
Fees and Waivers
· You have reviewed the journal's Article Processing Charge (APC), as published on the individual journal's page.
· If applying for a fee waiver, the request has been submitted with the manuscript, per the journal's Waiver Policy—no fee is required or discussed prior to acceptance.
Final Checks
· All co-authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript in its submitted form.
· Manuscript and all files, including the reporting guideline checklist, are uploaded via the journal's submission system.
· You have retained a copy of all submitted files and correspondence for your records.
· Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements—including missing or incorrect reporting guideline checklists—may be returned to authors prior to peer review, which can delay the editorial timeline.
Reviewer Recognition
Research Pillars Publishing values the time and expertise reviewers contribute to maintaining the quality and integrity of its journals. To acknowledge this contribution, the following recognition mechanisms apply across all journals in the portfolio:
Reviewer Certificates: Reviewers may request a formal certificate of appreciation for each completed review, citing the manuscript title (where confidentiality permits) or review round, suitable for inclusion in CVs, academic portfolios, or institutional performance reviews.
Annual Reviewer Acknowledgment: Each journal publishes an annual list of contributing reviewers (with individual consent) in an end-of-year issue or on the journal's website, recognizing their service to the field.
Outstanding Reviewer Recognition: Each journal may nominate a small number of reviewers annually as "Outstanding Reviewers," based on criteria such as review quality, depth of feedback, timeliness, and volume of reviews completed. Recipients are acknowledged publicly and may receive a formal letter from the Editor-in-Chief.
Reviewer Records: The publisher maintains a record of each reviewer's activity — including number of reviews completed, average turnaround time, and quality ratings from handling editors — to inform future review invitations, Editorial Board nominations, and recognition decisions.
Pathway to Editorial Roles: Consistent, high-quality reviewing is considered a key factor when identifying candidates for Editorial Board membership or Associate Editor roles within Research Pillars Publishing journals.
Verification Support: On request, the editorial office will verify a reviewer's contribution history to third parties (e.g., for tenure/promotion committees or platforms such as Publons/Web of Science Reviewer Recognition), consistent with confidentiality obligations regarding manuscript content.