Editorial Policy
The Indian Practitioner is a monthly medical journal which publishes evidence-based, peer-reviewed articles with the objective to inform and update medical practitioners in India on scientific advancements in medicine and healthcare. It is meant to help practising doctors, researchers and the entire medical community in their everyday work.
TIP also publishes news features on all newsworthy developments in the medical world, both in India and abroad so that the busy professional is kept informed comprehensively of the happenings in the medical world.
Editorial Policy
Manuscripts are welcomed from practitioners and researchers in different medical specialties which conform to nationally/ internationally accepted biomedical reporting practices, ethics, and the guidelines as outlined below. Authors are expected to submit manuscripts as per the guidelines provided.
Manuscripts should conform to the information needs of TIP readership – which includes generalist and specialist medical doctors in India. TIP is more oriented towards articles of applied interest. Articles solely of academic interest, or in preliminary or fundamental research, may also be considered if they are of considerable value/interest for practising medical professionals.
Manuscripts are accepted based on the understanding that the author/s have proven expertise in their respective field of work and have substantially contributed to the composition and articulation of the article. It is also understood that the author/s are individually and collectively aware, responsible and accountable for all aspects of the information and data provided in the article.
The journal reserves the right to make language, style, and format corrections and enhancements for better readability for manuscripts that have been accepted for publication.
There will be one author who will be interacting with the journal for all communication purposes during the entire publication process, including manuscript submission, peer review, replies to any clarification sought by the journal, providing any additional details etc. These are detailed in the Guidelines to Contributors. It is understood that the corresponding author obtains and provides the consent of all the co-authors responsible for the work. TIP reserves the right to also interact with co-authors if and when required.
Each author is expected to disclose any conflicting interests by way of any kind of financial or other association with any organisation/individual, or due to any other reason/s, that has in any way contributed to (or could stand to influence) any information provided in the article.
Manuscripts sent to TIP should be exclusively meant for publishing in TIP only and authors should categorically state that the said manuscript has not been sent to, or published in, any other publication – either print or online.
TIP would subject every manuscript to a plagiarism check, and those which are plagiarized and not original will be rejected at the outset itself.
Unless otherwise decided with the authors, TIP will hold the copyright for all articles published. In instances where authors request based on their original work, TIP can allow sharing the copyright between the authors and TIP.
Original Articles reporting original research: Prescribed word limit 5000 words (excluding references). Manuscripts should follow IMRAD (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion) format.
Review Article: Prescribed word limit 3000 words (excluding references). Authors may name sections in the text depending on the topic.
Case Report/Series: Prescribed word limit 2000 words (excluding references). Unusual findings or case reports will be appreciated. The journal encourages the submission of unread cases and/or unusual findings of known conditions.
Clinical Practice: Prescribed word limit 3000 words. Articles discussing ailments (esp. their management)/clinical conditions/procedures and techniques of interest and importance to the practising doctor in their everyday practice are considered for this section. Apart from articles, algorithms, flowcharts, and figures shall also be considered.
Special Article: Scholarly and authoritative papers which don’t fit other relevant categories are considered under this section. Prescribed word limit 3000 words.
Commentary/Editorial on any significant aspect of Indian healthcare, esp. topical issues. Prescribed word limit 2000 words.
Views and Experiences: Informal views and opinions on a range of topics and issues related to health and medicine are considered for this section. Prescribed word limit 1000 words.
Book Review: Prescribed word limit 1000 words. Image of the book cover (front and back), ISBN and publisher details required.
Correspondence (Letter to the Editor): Prescribed word limit 600 words. Readers are welcome to send comments, questions, criticisms or clarifications on published articles.
The editorial team headed by the executive editor of TIP first reviews all manuscripts received, and if found conforming to TIP requirements and deemed suitable for further processing, allots manuscripts to one or more competent peer reviewers for peer review. If after editorial review, it is felt that additional information is required or certain stipulated provisions have not been provided by the author/s, then the same will be asked for before proceeding to the peer review stage. After peer review, peer reviewer suggestions may be shared with author/s, and if revisions are asked by the journal, the article would be considered only after the revised article is received. The executive editor has the ultimate responsibility and discretion for deciding whether a submitted manuscript should be published or not. The executive editor will be in consultation with the Advisory Board and Section Editors as required towards the evolution of the journal content and scope. All communications between the editorial staff, authors, and peer-reviewers (including peer reviewer comments) will remain confidential.
The journal follows a strict double-blind peer review. The peer reviewer is selected by the Executive Editor based on the reviewers’ subject competency and peer review experience. Peer reviewers are requested to disclose any conflicting interests in advance that may bias their views, and if found so, may be asked to recuse themselves if conflicting interests are considerable. Reviewers are asked to assess and review each article objectively and express their views on the content with justification for the recommendations made. Any inadequacies they note are to be pointed out, such as similar work noticed elsewhere etc. Constructive feedback is encouraged from reviewers so that authors are helped in improving their submissions. Authors will be informed of preliminary acceptance/rejection after editorial review stage within 2 weeks of submission. We aim to reach a final decision on submitted manuscripts within 6-8 weeks of submission.
Guidelines to Contributors are provided both in the print and online versions to help prospective authors to prepare their submissions as per the policies of the journal.
