Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. Article Types

Pakistan Journal of Nutrition publishes peer‑reviewed work in human and clinical nutrition, animal nutrition, and basic science related to nutrition. Submissions are welcome in the following formats:

• Original Research Articles presenting new, scientifically sound experiments. (Download Template)

• Review Articles, concise and critical overviews, preferably by invitation or after prior discussion. (Download Template)

• Systematic Reviews, following structured guidelines (e.g., PRISMA) (View Guideline).

• Methodology Articles introducing novel or significantly improved experimental or computational methods.  (Download Template)

• Communications, brief reports of urgent or important findings, with a statement of significance.

• Letters to the Editor, short opinion pieces (≤1000 words, no abstract, ≤5 references).

• Perspectives, focused overviews of key advances (5–10 journal pages).

2. Manuscript Preparation

a) File Type and Size

Submit manuscripts in .doc or .docx format. Tables and figures may be included in the document or submitted separately as high-resolution .jpg, .png, or .tif files. Keep the total file size below 10 MB.

b) Structure

Organize original research articles using the following sections:

• Title page (title, authors, affiliations, corresponding author contact, ORCiD IDs of all authors)
• Abstract (structured: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion; ≤300 words)
• Keywords (4–6 terms)
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments (optional)
• Funding Statment
• References
• Declarations
  • Ethics Approval
  • Informed Consent
  • Consent for Publication
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Funding
  • Author Contributions
  • Data Availability
• Tables
• Figure legends

Review, methodology, communications, and perspectives should follow a similar organization.

c) Language and Style

Use clear, concise English. Define all abbreviations at first use and employ SI units consistently.

3. Formatting and Citations

a) In‑Text Citations

Use parenthetical format such as:

• References should be cited within the text using superscript numbers, placed at the end of a sentence or paragraph before punctuation or the full stop¹.

  If citing multiple references that are not in sequence, separate the superscript numbers with commas^1,3,4.

  For consecutive references, use a hyphen between the first and last superscript numbers^3-6.

b) Reference List

Ordered numerically according to the order of appearance in the text (not alphabetical). Format references at the end of the paper following these examples:

Journal Article
Antia, B., Akpan, E., Okon, P., & Umoren, I. (2006). Nutritive and anti-nutritive evaluation of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) leaves. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 5(2), 166–168.
10.3923/pjn.2006.166.168

Online Article
Ahmed, T., Ali, M., Ullah, M. M., Choudhury, I. A., Haque, M. E., Salam, M. A., et al. (2009). Mortality in severely malnourished children with diarrhoea and use of a standardized management protocol. PLoS ONE, 4(8), e7160. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0007160

Book
Gibney, M. J., Lanham-New, S. A., Cassidy, A., & Vorster, H. H. (2009). Introduction to human nutrition (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Introduction+to+Human+Nutrition%2C+2nd+Edition-p-9781405168076

Book Chapter
Dewey, K. G. (1995). Nutrition, growth, and complementary feeding of the breastfed infant. In R. G. Jensen (Ed.), Handbook of milk composition (pp. 725–741). Academic Press. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123844518000204

Authors are responsible for accuracy—ensure author names, titles, journal names, volume, page numbers, DOI, and year are correct.

4. Figures and Tables

• Tables: Place on separate pages, numbered consecutively, with clear titles and footnotes.

• Figures: Submit at high resolution (minimum 300 dpi). Number consecutively, include clear captions, and label all axes and units. Cite each figure and table in the text (e.g., “Figure 1 shows…”).

5. Cover Letter

Include a concise cover letter stating:

• The type of submission and its significance

• A statement confirming originality and that the manuscript is not submitted elsewhere

• Contact details of the corresponding author

• A disclosure of any generative AI or AI-assisted technology used in preparing or developing the submitted work, including the name of the tool and a brief description of how it was used, where applicable.

6. Submission Process

• Register and submit through the PJN online submission system.

• Ensure all authors approve the final manuscript and its submission.

7. Peer Review & Decision

• Manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening and may be returned for formatting corrections.

• Eligible manuscripts proceed to peer review.

• The time required for an editorial decision may vary depending on reviewer availability, the complexity of the manuscript, and the number of revision rounds required.

8. Declarations

Authors should provide the following declarations, as applicable to the research reported in the manuscript. Where a declaration does not apply, authors should provide an appropriate statement when required by the journal.

• Ethics Approval: For research requiring ethical approval, authors must provide the name of the approving ethics committee, institutional review board, animal ethics committee, or other appropriate authority, together with the approval or protocol number where available. Authors should follow the journal's Research Ethics Policy.
• Informed Consent: For research involving human participants, authors must state whether informed consent was obtained or whether an appropriate waiver was granted, where applicable.
• Consent for Publication: Appropriate consent for publication must be obtained when identifiable personal information, images, or other identifiable material relating to an individual is included in the manuscript.
• Conflict of Interest: All authors must disclose any relevant financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. If no conflicts exist, authors should state: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”
• Funding: Authors must disclose all sources of financial or material support, including the name of the funding organization and grant number where applicable. If the research received no specific funding, authors should state: “This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”
• Author Contributions: The contributions of the authors should be described in accordance with the journal's Authorship and Contributorship Policy. All listed authors must meet the journal's authorship criteria and accept responsibility for their contributions to the work.
• Artificial Intelligence Use: Authors must disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies if such tools contributed to the preparation or development of the manuscript. The disclosure should identify the tool used and briefly describe how it was used. If AI was used as part of the research methodology, its use should also be described in the Materials and Methods section. Routine use of tools limited to basic spelling, grammar, or reference formatting does not normally require a separate disclosure.
• Data Availability: Authors should provide a Data Availability Statement describing whether and how the data supporting the findings of the study can be accessed, in accordance with the journal's Data Sharing Policy.