A manuscript will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that it is being submitted to International Journal of Ayurveda360 (IJOA) alone at that point in time and has not been published anywhere, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. The journal expects that authors would authorize one of them to correspond with the Journal for all matters related to the manuscript. All manuscripts received are duly acknowledged. On submission, editors review all submitted manuscripts initially for suitability for formal review. Manuscripts with insufficient originality, serious scientific or technical flaws, or lack of a significant message are rejected before proceeding for formal peer-review. Manuscripts that are unlikely to be of interest to the readers of International Journal of Ayurveda360 are also liable to be rejected at this stage itself.

Manuscripts received from Editorial Board members will be screened by the Editor in Chief and sent to external peer reviewers. Editorial board members who are authors will be excluded from publication decisions.

Manuscripts that are found suitable for publication in International Journal of Ayurveda360 are sent to two or more expert reviewers. During submission, the contributor is requested to provide names of two or three qualified reviewers who have had experience in the subject of the submitted manuscript, but this is not mandatory. The reviewers should not be affiliated with the same institutes as the contributor/s. However, the selection of these reviewers is at the sole discretion of the editor. The journal follows a double-blind review process, wherein the reviewers and authors are unaware of each other’s identity. Every manuscript is also assigned to a member of the editorial team, who, based on the comments from the reviewers, takes a final decision on the manuscript. The comments and suggestions (acceptance/ rejection/ amendments in manuscript) received from reviewers are conveyed to the corresponding author. If required, the author is requested to provide a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript. This process is repeated until reviewers and editors are satisfied with the manuscript.

Manuscripts accepted for publication are copy-edited for grammar, punctuation, print style, and format. Page proofs are sent to the corresponding author. The corresponding author is expected to return the corrected proofs within three days. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The whole process from submission of the manuscript to final decision, and sending and receiving proofs, is completed online. To achieve faster and greater dissemination of knowledge and information, the journal publishes articles online as ‘Ahead of Print’ immediately on acceptance.

Processes for appeals

Authors do have the right to appeal if they have genuine cause to believe that the editorial board has wrongly rejected the paper. If authors wish to appeal the decision, they should email the editorial office (email:journal@ayurveda360.in) explaining in detail the reason for the appeal. The appeals will be acknowledged by the editorial office and will be investigated in an unbiased manner. The processing of appeals will be done within 6 – 8 weeks. While under appeal, the said manuscript should not be submitted to other journals. The final decision rests with the Editor in Chief of the journal. Second appeals are not considered.

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism includes duplicate publication of the author’s own work, in whole or in part without proper citation or misrepresenting others’ ideas, words, and creative expressions as one’s own. The journal follows a strict anti-plagiarism policy. All manuscripts submitted to International Journal of Ayurveda360 undergo plagiarism checks with commercially available software. Based on the extent of plagiarism, authors may be asked to address any minor duplication or similarity with previously published work. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the journal will investigate. If plagiarism is established, the journal will notify the authors’ institution and funding bodies and will retract the plagiarized article. To report plagiarism, contact the journal office (email: journal@ayurveda360.in).

Clinical Trial Registry

International Journal of Ayurveda360 favors registration of clinical trials and is a signatory to the Statement on publishing clinical trials in Indian biomedical journals. International Journal of Ayurveda360 would publish clinical trials that have been registered with a clinical trial registry that allows free online access to the public. Registration in the following trial registers is acceptable: https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/login.php; http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/; http://isrctn.org/; and http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr. This is applicable to clinical trials that have begun enrollment of subjects on or after June 2018. Clinical trials that commenced enrollment of subjects prior to June 2018 would be considered for publication in International Journal of Ayurveda360 only if they have been registered retrospectively with a clinical trial registry that allows unhindered online access to the public without charging any fees.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to each of the three components mentioned below:

1. Concept and design of the study or acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data;
2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and
3. Final approval of the version to be published.

Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not justify authorship. General supervision of the research group is not sufficient for authorship. Each contributor should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content of the manuscript. The order of naming the contributors should be based on the relative contribution of the contributor towards the study and writing the manuscript. Once submitted, the order cannot be changed without the written consent of all the contributors. The journal prescribes a maximum number of authors for manuscripts depending on the type of manuscript, its scope, and the number of institutions involved (vide infra). The authors should provide justification if the number of authors exceeds these limits.

Contribution Details

Contributors should provide a description of contributions made by each of them towards the manuscript. The description should be divided into the following categories, as applicable: concept, design, definition of intellectual content, literature search, clinical studies, experimental studies, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. Authors’ contributions will be printed along with the article. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole from inception to the published article and should be designated as the ‘guarantor’.

Conflicts of Interest/ Competing Interests

All authors must disclose any and all conflicts of interest they may have with the publication of the manuscript or an institution or product mentioned in the manuscript and/or important to the outcome of the study presented. Authors should also disclose conflicts of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript.

Submission of Manuscripts

All manuscripts must be submitted online through the website https://ayurveda360.in/submit-your-manuscript/. 

If you experience any problems, please contact the editorial office by email at editor (journal@ayurveda360.in) or call 7353940662.

Submitted manuscripts that do not adhere to the “Instructions to Authors” will be returned to the authors for technical corrections before they undergo editorial/peer review. Generally, the manuscript should be submitted in the form of two separate files:

[1] Title Page/First Page File/covering letter:

This file should provide:

1. The type of manuscript (original article, case report, review article, Letter to editor, Images, etc.), title of the manuscript, running title, names of all authors/contributors (with their highest academic degrees, designation, and affiliations), and names of department(s) and/or institution(s) to which the work should be credited. All information that can reveal your identity should be here. Use text/rtf/doc files. Do not zip the files.

2. The total number of pages, total number of photographs, and word counts separately for abstract and for the text (excluding the references, tables, and abstract), word counts for introduction + discussion in case of an original article;

3. Source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, drugs, or all of these;

4. Acknowledgment, if any. One or more statements should specify 1) contributions that need acknowledging but do not justify authorship, such as general support by a departmental chair; 2) acknowledgments of technical help; and 3) acknowledgments of financial and material support, which should specify the nature of the support. This should be included in the title page of the manuscript and not in the main article file.

5. If the manuscript was presented as part of a meeting, the organization, place, and exact date on which it was read. A full statement to the editor about all submissions and previous reports that might be regarded as redundant publication of the same or very similar work. Any such work should be referred to specifically and referenced in the new paper. Copies of such material should be included with the submitted paper to help the editor decide how to handle the matter.

6. Registration number in case of a clinical trial and where it is registered (name of the registry and its URL).

7. Conflicts of Interest of each author/contributor. A statement of financial or other relationships that might lead to a conflict of interest, if that information is not included in the manuscript itself or in an authors’ form.

8. Criteria for inclusion in the authors’/contributors’ list.

9. A statement that the manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, that the requirements for authorship as stated earlier in this document have been met, and that each author believes that the manuscript represents honest work, if that information is not provided in another form (see below); and

10. The name, address, e-mail, and telephone number of the corresponding author, who is responsible for communicating with the other authors about revisions and final approval of the proofs, if that information is not included on the manuscript itself.

Typically, manuscripts should be submitted in two separate files:

1. Title Page/First Page File/Covering Letter:

   • Include the type of manuscript (e.g., original article, case report, review article), title, running title, names of all authors with their highest academic degrees, designations, and affiliations.
   • Specify the total number of pages, photographs, and word counts for the abstract and text (excluding references, tables, and abstract).
   • Provide details on sources of support such as grants, equipment, or drugs, along with any acknowledgments.
   • If applicable, state whether the manuscript was presented at a meeting, including organization, place, and date.
   • Include the registration number for clinical trials and registry details.
   • Disclose conflicts of interest for each author.
   • Confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all authors.
   • Provide contact information for the corresponding author.

2. Blinded Article File:

   • This file should contain the main text of the article from the abstract to the references (including tables), with no author names, initials, or institutional affiliations mentioned.
   • Page headers or running titles can include the title but should exclude authors’ names.
   • Ensure compliance with the journal’s blinding policy to avoid return of the manuscript.

3. Images:

   • Submit high-quality color images individually, each less than 2 MB in size, in JPEG format.
   • Include legends for figures/images at the end of the article file.

4. Contributors’ / Copyright Transfer Form:

   • This form can either be submitted electronically along with co-author details or sent as a scanned image via email (ijoayurveda360@gmail.com).

Preparation of Manuscripts

Manuscripts must conform to the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (October 2008). Specific requirements for the International Journal of Ayurveda360 are summarized below:

• Manuscripts should be prepared in American English or Hindi. Abstracts in Hindi (Unicode Devanagari fonts) are required, with the use of Google input tools for translation.
• For Ayurvedic or vernacular language references, submit a separate document in Unicode Devanagari fonts in the sequence as they appear in the references.

Permission and Declaration

Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions to reproduce any copyrighted material. Copies of permissions obtained should accompany the manuscript. Additionally, authors must provide copies of any related published articles or manuscripts in preparation submitted elsewhere.

Submission of Manuscripts

All manuscripts must be submitted online through the website https://ayurveda360.in/submit-your-manuscript/. 

For any technical issues, please contact the editorial office via email at editor (journal@ayurveda360.in) or contact on whatsapp +917353960662.

Manuscripts that do not adhere to the “Instructions to Authors” will be returned to the authors for technical corrections before undergoing editorial or peer review. Typically, manuscripts should be submitted in two separate files:

1. Title Page/First Page File/Covering Letter:

   • Include the type of manuscript (e.g., original article, case report, review article), title, running title, names of all authors with their highest academic degrees, designations, and affiliations.
   • Specify the total number of pages, photographs, and word counts for the abstract and text (excluding references, tables, and abstract).
   • Provide details on sources of support such as grants, equipment, or drugs, along with any acknowledgments.
   • If applicable, state whether the manuscript was presented at a meeting, including organization, place, and date.
   • Include the registration number for clinical trials and registry details.
   • Disclose conflicts of interest for each author.
   • Confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all authors.
   • Provide contact information for the corresponding author.

2. Blinded Article File:

   • This file should contain the main text of the article from the abstract to the references (including tables), with no author names, initials, or institutional affiliations mentioned.
   • Page headers or running titles can include the title but should exclude authors’ names.
   • Ensure compliance with the journal’s blinding policy to avoid return of the manuscript.

3. Images:

   • Submit high-quality color images individually, each less than 2 MB in size, in JPEG format.
   • Include legends for figures/images at the end of the article file.

4. Contributors’ / Copyright Transfer Form:

   • This form can either be submitted electronically along with co-author details or sent as a scanned image via email (journal@ayurveda360.in).

Preparation of Manuscripts

Manuscripts must conform to the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (October 2008). Specific requirements for the International Journal of Ayurveda360 are summarized below:

• Manuscripts should be prepared in American English or Hindi. Abstracts in Hindi (Unicode Devanagari fonts) are required, with the use of Google input tools for translation.
• For Ayurvedic or vernacular language references, submit a separate document in Unicode Devanagari fonts in the sequence as they appear in the references.

Permission and Declaration

Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions to reproduce any copyrighted material. Copies of permissions obtained should accompany the manuscript. Additionally, authors must provide copies of any related published articles or manuscripts in preparation submitted elsewhere.

Types of Manuscripts

Original Articles:

• Include randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, diagnostic tests, outcome studies, and case-control series, among others.
• The structured abstract should not exceed 250 words and should include sections on Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusion in English and Hindi.

Ethics and Study Design

Authors reporting on human or animal studies must detail ethical considerations, including approval from relevant ethics committees and informed consent. Guidelines such as the Helsinki Declaration for human subjects and CPCSEA for animal experiments should be followed.

Reporting Guidelines

Authors should adhere to specific reporting guidelines depending on the type of study, such as CONSORT for randomized controlled trials and STROBE for observational studies.

Statistics

Quantify findings with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (e.g., confidence intervals). Specify statistical methods used and provide exact P values.

Results and Discussion

Present results logically and discuss implications in the context of existing evidence. Avoid repeating data extensively and ensure findings are clearly linked to the study’s objectives.

Types of Manuscripts

Original Articles:

These include randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, outcome studies, cost-effectiveness analyses, case-control series, and surveys with high response rates. Please restrict the structured abstract to 250 words (Introduction, Methods, Results & Conclusion). The text of original articles, amounting to up to 3000 words (excluding Abstract, approximately 30 references, and Tables), should be divided into sections with the headings Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, References, Tables, and Figure legends. The abstract should be structured in both English (Introduction, Methods, Results & Conclusion).

Introduction: State the purpose and summarize the rationale for the study or observation.

Materials and Methods: This section should include and describe the following aspects:

• Ethics: For studies involving human participants, indicate compliance with ethical standards, including approval from the appropriate ethics committee (institutional or national) and adherence to the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2013. For studies involving animals, specify compliance with institutional guidelines or national laws. Authors must provide evidence of ethics committee approval upon request.

• Study Design: Describe the selection criteria for participants (patients or animals), including eligibility and exclusion criteria and details about the source population. Provide detailed descriptions of methods, including equipment and procedures, with references for established methods and explanations for new or modified methods.

• Reporting Guidelines: Follow specific reporting guidelines depending on the study type (e.g., CONSORT for randomized controlled trials, STROBE for observational studies).

• Statistics: Quantify findings with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (e.g., confidence intervals). Specify statistical methods used and include exact P values. Define statistical terms and specify the software used.

Results: Present results logically in text, tables, and figures, emphasizing important findings without duplicating data extensively. Include numeric results with statistical methods used for analysis. Additional technical details can be placed in an appendix or electronic version of the journal.

Discussion: Summarize key findings, discuss strengths and limitations of the study, interpret results in the context of existing evidence, address controversies raised, and propose future research directions. Avoid redundant details from the Introduction or Results sections and refrain from unsupported claims.

Review Articles:

These should be written by experts in the field, offering a comprehensive summary of existing literature. The manuscript can be up to 3000 words (excluding tables, references, and abstract) with approximately 90 references. The structured abstract should summarize the article in English (Objective, Data Source, Review Methods, Results & Conclusion) and in Hindi (उद्देश्य, डाटा स्रोत, समीक्षा विधि, और निष्कर्ष) within 250 words. Authors should describe methods used to locate, select, extract, and synthesize data, including a summary in the abstract.

Case Reports:

These should describe unique and clinically significant cases, providing learning points for readers. The manuscript can be up to 1000 words (excluding Abstract and references) and should include a structured abstract in both English (Introduction, Main Clinical Findings, Diagnosis, Interventions, Outcome & Conclusion) and Hindi (परिचय, मुख्य नैदानिक लक्षण, व्याधि विनिश्चय, चिकित्सीय प्रयोग, परिणाम और निष्कर्ष) within 150 words. The manuscript can be supported with up to 10 references.

Letter to the Editor:

These should be concise observations related to previously published articles or views expressed in the journal. The letter can be up to 500 words with a maximum of 5 references, authored by up to four authors.

Other Types:

Editorials, Guest Editorials, Commentaries, and Opinions are invited by the editorial board.

References:

References should be numbered consecutively in the order they are first mentioned in the text, tables, and figure legends, identified by Arabic numerals in superscript. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to Index Medicus style. Provide complete names for non-indexed journals. Avoid citing abstracts or personal communications unless essential, and provide permissions for unpublished observations.

For detailed guidelines on specific types of references, refer to the ICMJE guidelines (http://www.icmje.org) or NLM guidelines (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html).

For additional information on manuscript preparation and submission, authors are encouraged to visit the journal’s website or contact the editorial office directly at ijoayurveda360@gmail.com.