Author Guidelines

Instructions for preparing and submitting manuscripts

These guidelines explain BioSight's editorial assessment, peer-review process, fees, publication ethics requirements, and manuscript preparation standards. Authors should read the complete document before submission and ensure that all required declarations and files are included.

1 Editorial assessment and peer review

All submissions are initially assessed by the editorial office for relevance to BioSight's aims and scope, completeness, originality, ethical compliance, and basic scholarly quality. Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment undergo double-blind peer review by two to three independent subject experts. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision based on the reviewers' reports, the authors' responses, and the journal's editorial standards.

Editorial decisions are independent of payment status, waiver requests, institutional affiliation, nationality, commercial considerations, and personal relationships.

2 Fees and waivers

BioSight does not charge a submission, screening, or peer-review fee. An article processing charge of PKR 5,000 is payable only after final editorial acceptance. Authors who are unable to pay may request a waiver by emailing biosight@uok.edu.pk after acceptance. Waiver requests are considered individually and confidentially and are not guaranteed. Payment or waiver decisions do not influence peer review or editorial decisions.

3 Copyright and licensing

Authors retain copyright in their work and grant BioSight a non-exclusive right of first publication. Accepted articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits sharing and adaptation for any lawful purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate credit is given, a link to the license is supplied, and any changes are indicated.

4 Authorship and contributor responsibilities

Authorship requires all of the following:

A substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation.
Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
Final approval of the version submitted for publication.
Agreement to be accountable for the accuracy, integrity, and ethical conduct of the work.

The corresponding author must ensure that all eligible contributors are listed, that no ineligible person is included, and that every author has approved the submission. The completed Authorship Declaration Form must accompany the manuscript. Contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.

5 Conflicts of interest and funding

Conflicts of interest. All authors must disclose financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could influence the work. If none exist, state: 'The authors declare no conflicts of interest.'

Funding. Identify every source of financial or material support and describe the funder's role, if any, in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or the decision to submit. If there was no specific funding, state: 'This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.'

6 Artificial intelligence disclosure

Authors must disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies in preparing a manuscript. The disclosure should identify the tool and version where available, the purpose of use, and the sections or tasks for which it was used. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or cited as responsible sources. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, references, and ethical compliance of all submitted content. Routine spelling, grammar, reference-formatting, or basic language-correction tools generally do not require disclosure if they do not generate or substantially alter intellectual content.

7 Submission process

Register or log in on the BioSight website and begin a new submission.
Confirm that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal.
Upload the manuscript in DOC or DOCX format and provide complete article metadata in OJS, including title, abstract, keywords, author names, affiliations, and references.
Upload the cover letter, Authorship Declaration Form, ethics approval or supporting documentation where applicable, and any supplementary files.
Complete all required declarations and submit the manuscript. The corresponding author will receive an acknowledgement through the journal system.

8 Cover letter

The cover letter should:

Explain the significance of the study and its suitability for BioSight.
Confirm that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere.
Confirm that all authors approved the submitted version and agreed to submit it to BioSight.
Identify related manuscripts, preprints, conference abstracts, or overlapping material and explain the relationship.
Disclose conflicts of interest, funding, and any other information relevant to editorial assessment.

9 Manuscript preparation

9.1 General format

File format: Microsoft Word DOC or DOCX.
Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Line spacing: 1.5 throughout the manuscript.
Page numbers: include at the bottom right of each page.
Use clear headings and continuous line numbering where possible.
Use SI units. Define each abbreviation at first use and avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

9.2 Title page

The title page must include:

A concise manuscript title in bold, 14-point type.
The complete name of every author in the intended publication order.
Each author's department and institutional affiliation, linked clearly to the author.
The corresponding author's name, postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Funding and other sources of support.
The main-text word count, excluding the abstract and references.
Conflicts-of-interest and AI-use disclosures, where applicable.

9.3 Article types and limits

Article type	Main text	References	Required structure
Original article	2,000 to 4,000 words	Up to 25	Abstract, keywords, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, tables, and figures
Review article	Up to 5,000 words	Up to 75	Abstract, keywords, logically organized review sections, conclusion, and references
Editorial or brief communication	Up to 2,000 words	Up to 10	Abstract where appropriate, concise main text, conclusion, and references

9.4 Abstract and keywords

Original articles and review articles should include an abstract of no more than 250 words. Brief communications should include an abstract of no more than 150 words. Unless the article type requires otherwise, the abstract should concisely state the background, objective, methods, principal results, and conclusion. Provide three to six keywords that accurately describe the work.

9.5 Main text

Introduction. Provide relevant recent literature, identify the knowledge gap, and state the objective and rationale of the study.

Methods. Describe the study design, setting, participants or materials, sampling, procedures, interventions, equipment and manufacturers where relevant, outcomes, and analytical methods in enough detail to allow evaluation and replication.

Results. Present findings in a logical sequence without duplicating the same data extensively in text, tables, and figures. Report appropriate estimates, measures of uncertainty, and exact statistical results where relevant.

Discussion. Interpret the principal findings in relation to relevant evidence; explain plausible mechanisms; describe strengths and limitations; discuss implications; and identify appropriate directions for future research. A combined Results and Discussion section may be used when suitable.

Conclusion. State the conclusions supported by the findings without overstating causality, novelty, or generalizability.

10 Research ethics and informed consent

Research involving humans must receive approval from an appropriate institutional or regional research ethics committee before the study begins and must comply with the applicable version of the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant local requirements. The Methods section must name the approving body and provide the approval or reference number. Authors must state how informed consent was obtained or explain a formally approved waiver. Identifiable personal information or images require specific consent for publication.

Research involving animals must receive prior approval from the appropriate animal ethics or institutional committee and follow applicable welfare standards. The approving body and approval number must be reported. If ethics approval was not required, authors should state the reason and cite the relevant policy or authority.

11 Data analysis and reporting

Describe statistical methods, software and version, significance thresholds, and handling of missing data.
Report sample sizes and explain how they were determined where relevant.
Use appropriate reporting guidelines for the study design and submit the relevant checklist when requested.
Protect participant confidentiality and do not include identifying information unless essential and specifically consented to.
Provide a data-availability statement indicating where supporting data can be accessed or why access is restricted.

12 References

References must follow Vancouver style and be numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text. Verify every reference for accuracy and completeness. Use National Library of Medicine journal abbreviations where available; give the full title of a journal that has no standard abbreviation. List up to six authors; for more than six, list the first six followed by et al. Unaccepted manuscripts should not appear in the reference list; cite them in the text only with the source's written permission.

12.1 Examples

Journal article. Welsh J. Cellular and molecular effects of vitamin D on carcinogenesis. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2012;523(1):107-14.

Book chapter. Weinstein L, Swartz MN. Pathogenic properties of invading microorganisms. In: Sodeman WA Jr, Sodeman WA, editors. Pathologic physiology: mechanisms of disease. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1974. p. 457-72.

Book. Anderson SC, Poulsen KB. Anderson's electronic atlas of hematology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2002.

13 Tables and figures

13.1 Tables

Number tables consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order of first citation.
Provide a concise title and explain abbreviations, symbols, and necessary details in footnotes.
Cite every table in the text and ensure that the table adds information rather than repeating the text.
Use editable table text rather than images of tables.

13.2 Figures

Number figures consecutively in the order of first citation and cite every figure in the text.
Supply clear color or grayscale images at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi at the intended publication size.
Ensure that labels, numbers, symbols, and scale bars are legible and consistent.
Provide a complete legend for each figure and define all symbols and abbreviations.
For previously published material, identify the original source and provide written permission where required by the applicable license or copyright holder.
Remove or mask identifying patient information unless specific consent for publication has been obtained.

14 Originality and publication ethics

Submissions must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal. Authors must cite and acknowledge all reused words, data, images, ideas, and methods. Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate image manipulation, and undisclosed competing interests are not acceptable. The journal may request raw data, ethics documentation, permissions, or other supporting records during evaluation or after publication. Concerns may lead to rejection, correction, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions as appropriate.

15 Corrections complaints and appeals

Authors must promptly notify the journal if they discover a material error in a submitted or published article. Requests for corrections will be evaluated according to the significance of the error and the integrity of the scholarly record. Authors and other stakeholders may submit a complaint or appeal with the manuscript or article details, a clear explanation, and supporting evidence. Appeals should be submitted within 30 days of the editorial decision. Complaints and appeals will be handled confidentially and will not result in retaliation.

16 Privacy

Names, email addresses, and other personal information entered on the journal website will be used only for the stated purposes of the journal and will not be made available for unrelated purposes or to unrelated third parties, subject to legal, ethical, and publishing requirements.

17 Contact

BioSight
Department of Physiology, University of Karachi
Karachi 75270, Sindh, Pakistan
Email: biosight@uok.edu.pk
Website: https://biosight.org/index.php/bios