University of Lahore Launches 26 Academic Journals and Conducts Training for Editorial Teams

Rector of UOL keeps on monitoring the progress of all the journals

LAHORE: Recognizing the importance of research and publications, the management of the University of Lahore (UOL) has launched 26 academic journals across various disciplines. Prof. M. Ashraf, Rector of UOL, and Prof. M. Iqbal, Director of ORIC, are closely overseeing the progress of these journals.

University of Lahore organized a two day training session for the Editors and Editorial staff of its various journals on January 27th and 28th 2025. Mr. Shaukat Ali Jawaid Chief Editor of Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences and Prof. Mariyah Hidayat Editor of JUCMD published by UOL were the facilitators. Group photograph taken on the occasion shows the participants with the facilitators
and Prof.Mahwish Arooj Principal of UCMD.

To enhance the professional capacity of editors and editorial team members, a two-day training session was organized on January 27–28, 2025, at the university campus. The facilitators included Mr. Shaukat Ali Jawaid, Chief Editor of the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences and Secretary of EMAME, along with Prof. Mariyah Hidayat, Editor of the Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry.

Addressing Challenges and Improving Journal Quality

During the training, editorial team members discussed the challenges faced by each journal in detail. Deficiencies were identified, and teams were instructed to address them in the upcoming issues. The next phase of development will focus on improving content quality, refining the peer review process, attracting and retaining qualified reviewers, setting up a reviewer database, and increasing the visibility of these journals to encourage more submissions.

Further guidance will be provided on how to get the journals indexed in reputable databases and recognized by indexing agencies. The sessions were also attended by Prof. Iqbal, Director ORIC, and Ms. Erum, who manages all UOL journals. Notably, UOL has established a centralized office to handle publication-related tasks for all its journals.
It was highlighted that while certain editorial principles apply across all disciplines, some subject areas were new to the facilitators. As a result, editorial teams handling specialized fields were advised to follow discipline-specific guidelines where applicable.

Feedback and Best Practices for Academic Publishing

On January 28, 2025, a combined feedback session was held, attended by Prof. Mahwish Arooj, Principal of the University College of Medicine & Dentistry, and Prof. M. Iqbal, Director ORIC.
During the session, Mr. Shaukat Ali Jawaid emphasized key aspects of journal management:
• ISSN and Journal Identification: Journals must display their ISSN number, volume, and issue details on the title page, along with their website address. The name of the Editor or Chief Editor should not be printed on the title page.
• Journal Website: A comprehensive website should include details such as the journal’s mission, vision, objectives, editorial policies, plagiarism policies, guidelines for handling scientific misconduct, publication charges, and copyright statements.
• Editorial Board Composition: Preference should be given to young faculty members who are interested and have the time to contribute. Board members should actively encourage high-quality manuscript submissions from local and international researchers. A diverse editorial board, both multidisciplinary and geographically varied, is ideal.
• Authorship and Ethical Guidelines: Editors should adhere to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines on authorship, follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, and prevent unethical practices such as “gift authorship.”
Manuscript Formatting
and Review Process
Mr. Jawaid also provided detailed recommendations on structuring research manuscripts:
• Abstracts for Original Articles should include subheadings such as Objective or Background and Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion with appropriate keywords.
• Main Text Structure: The manuscript should follow the IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion), ensuring clarity and logical progression. Ethics Committee or IRB approval should be explicitly mentioned with a reference number and date.
• Data Presentation: Tables, figures, and illustrations should be included in the Results section, avoiding redundancy in the text.
• Discussion Section: This should begin with the study’s findings, comparing results with local, national, and international studies. Most references should appear in the Discussion section.
• Reference Guidelines: Original articles may include up to 25 references, ideally from the last five years. Review articles can have 50 or more references, while case reports typically include five to eight references. Citation formats (Vancouver or APA) should be consistent across the journal.
Journal Indexing
and Visibility
Mr. Jawaid emphasized that regulatory bodies and indexing agencies assess journals based on multiple factors, primarily holding the Editor responsible for the publication’s credibility and adherence to quality standards.
He also addressed concerns about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic publishing. While AI should not be used for manuscript writing, it can be beneficial in improving language and grammar. However, any use of AI must be transparently acknowledged.
Additionally, ethical concerns regarding citations were discussed. Editors should not pressure authors to cite specific journals but may provide information on relevant studies, allowing authors to decide on citations independently.

Encouraging a Supportive Editorial Environment

Editors were encouraged to adopt an author-friendly approach, guiding researchers through the peer review process. Journals can choose among single-blind, double-blind, or open peer review systems. Authors may suggest potential reviewers, though the final selection remains the editor’s discretion. Exceptional reviewers may be added to the journal’s reviewer database.

To acknowledge the significant workload of editors—who often manage these responsibilities alongside their faculty roles—it was suggested that UOL provide appropriate incentives to editors.

Prof. Mahwish Arooj expressed gratitude to Mr. Shaukat Ali Jawaid for conducting the training session, noting that the insights shared would contribute significantly to improving the quality and standards of UOL’s academic journals.