Submissions

Author Guidelines

Article Types

SMUPAS publishes several categories of scholarly contributions, including Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Short Communications, Case Studies and Case Reports, Technical Notes.

1. Original Research Articles presenting full-length reports of original scientific investigations and significant research findings.

2. Review Articles providing critical and comprehensive analyses of current knowledge and emerging developments in a specific field.

3. Short Communications describing novel findings, innovative methods, or preliminary results of significant interest.

4. Case Studies offering detailed examinations of specific cases, projects, interventions, or professional practices.

5. Technical Notes describing new techniques, methodologies, technologies, software applications, or laboratory procedures.

 

Peer Review

SMUPAS operates a rigorous double-blind peer-review system designed to ensure the quality, originality, and scientific integrity of published research. All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening to assess their relevance to the journal's scope and compliance with submission requirements. Suitable manuscripts are then evaluated by at least two independent experts in the relevant field. Reviewers assess submissions based on originality, scientific merit, methodological rigor, relevance, clarity of presentation, and ethical compliance. The final publication decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief based on the reviewers’ recommendations and editorial assessment.

 

Ethics and Publication Policies

Authors submitting manuscripts to SMUPAS are expected to adhere to the highest standards of research and publication ethics. Manuscripts must be original, accurately reported, appropriately referenced, and prepared in accordance with accepted ethical principles. Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, and other forms of research misconduct are strictly prohibited. Research involving human participants or animals must comply with applicable ethical regulations and include evidence of ethical approval where required. Editors and reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, and conduct their responsibilities with fairness, integrity, and professionalism.

 

Submission Declaration

Submission of a manuscript to SMUPAS implies that the work has not been published previously, is not currently under consideration by another journal, and has been approved by all listed authors. Submission further confirms that all authors agree to the journal's publication policies and ethical requirements and accept responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

 

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of the manuscript. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript prior to submission and agree to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of the work.

 

Declaration of Competing Interests

Authors are required to disclose any financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that could potentially influence the interpretation or presentation of their research. Such disclosures should be included in a dedicated section of the manuscript. If no competing interests exist, authors should state: “The authors declare that they have no competing interests.”

 

Funding Sources

All sources of financial support received for conducting the research or preparing the manuscript should be clearly acknowledged in a dedicated Funding Statement. Authors should identify the funding agency, grant number, and relevant project information where applicable. If the study received no external funding, the following statement should be included: “This research received no specific funding from any public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding agency.”

 

Generative AI Use

Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal can use AI Tools to support them for example in language editing, formatting, or other supportive tasks. However, these tools must never be used as a substitute for human critical thinking, expertise and evaluation. AI technology should always be applied with human oversight and control. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content. Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors or credited with responsibility for the work.

 

Writing and Formatting

Manuscripts should be prepared in clear and concise English or Arabic and follow the journal's formatting requirements. Each submission should include a title page containing the article title, author names, institutional affiliations, corresponding author details, and ORCID identifiers where available. The manuscript should include an abstract of approximately 150–300 words summarizing the objectives, methods, results, and conclusions of the study, followed by four to eight keywords. Authors are encouraged to provide three to five highlights summarizing the principal findings of the work.

Research articles should generally be structured into Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgements, Funding Statement, Declaration of Competing Interests, and References. Tables should be submitted in editable format, numbered consecutively, and accompanied by clear titles and explanatory notes where necessary. Figures, images, and artwork must be of high quality and submitted in accepted file formats with adequate resolution for publication. Figure captions should be provided separately and should clearly explain the content of each figure. References should be formatted consistently according to the journal's citation style.

 

Submitting Your Manuscript

Before submission, authors should ensure that the manuscript falls within the scope of the journal, complies with ethical requirements, contains all required declarations, and has been approved by all authors. References, figures, tables, and supplementary materials should be complete and correctly formatted. Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's online submission system, where authors will be required to upload manuscript files, enter author and affiliation information, complete all required declarations, and verify the accuracy of the submission metadata.

 

Open Access and Copyright

SMUPAS is a fully open-access journal that provides immediate, unrestricted, and permanent online access to all published articles. Readers may access, download, distribute, and cite published content without subscription fees or access barriers. Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the right of first publication. The journal actively promotes the broad dissemination of research to maximize visibility, accessibility, and scholarly impact.

 

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

SMUPAS follows internationally recognized ethical publishing standards, including the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The journal expects authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers to uphold the highest standards of honesty, transparency, accountability, and professionalism. Research misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and inappropriate authorship practices, will not be tolerated.

 

Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism-detection software before entering peer review. Plagiarism includes direct copying of text without attribution, inadequate paraphrasing, self-plagiarism, redundant publication, and unauthorized use of figures, tables, or data. Manuscripts containing substantial plagiarism may be rejected immediately.

 

Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes fabrication or falsification of data, manipulation of research findings, selective reporting of results, inappropriate authorship practices, and failure to disclose conflicts of interest. Allegations of misconduct will be investigated by the Editorial Board in accordance with internationally accepted guidelines. Where misconduct is confirmed, appropriate actions may include rejection, correction, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.

 

Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. When necessary, corrections may be issued to address errors that do not invalidate the findings of an article. Retractions may be published when findings are deemed unreliable due to misconduct, major errors, or ethical violations. Expressions of Concern may be issued while investigations are ongoing and significant concerns have been raised regarding a published article.

 

Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants, patient information, biological specimens, or animals must comply with applicable ethical standards and regulations. Authors should provide details of ethical approval, including the name of the approving ethics committee and approval number where applicable. Confirmation that informed consent was obtained from participants must also be included when required. For case reports, written informed consent should be obtained from the patient or legal guardian before publication.

 

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials should be registered in a publicly accessible registry before participant enrollment. The registry name and registration number should be included in the manuscript to ensure transparency and accountability in clinical research.

 

Use of Inclusive Language

Authors should use language that is respectful, inclusive, and free from bias. Manuscripts should avoid discriminatory or stereotypical language relating to gender, ethnicity, race, religion, disability, age, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation and should promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.

 

ORCID Identifiers

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide their ORCID identifiers at the time of submission. ORCID improves researcher identification, enhances discoverability, and facilitates integration with scholarly databases and indexing systems.

 

Preprints Policy

SMUPAS accepts manuscripts that have previously been posted on recognized non-commercial preprint servers. Authors should disclose any preprint version during submission and provide the associated DOI or URL where applicable. Posting a manuscript as a preprint does not constitute prior publication.

 

Supplementary Materials

Authors may submit supplementary materials that support the findings of the study, including datasets, multimedia files, additional tables, figures, research instruments, and software code. Such materials should be clearly identified and referenced within the main manuscript.

 

Permissions

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce copyrighted materials, including figures, tables, images, maps, questionnaires, and previously published content. The Editorial Office may request documentation confirming permission before publication.

 

Article Processing Charges

Currently, SMUPAS does not charge submission fees. Any publication charges that may be introduced in the future will be clearly stated on the journal website before manuscript submission.

 

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scientific merit, originality, relevance to the journal's scope, and ethical compliance. Factors such as nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religion, political views, or personal characteristics of authors do not influence editorial decisions.

 

Appeals and Complaints

Authors who disagree with editorial decisions may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals should provide a detailed justification supported by evidence. Complaints regarding editorial procedures, peer review, publication ethics, or journal conduct will be handled confidentially, fairly, and in accordance with established ethical guidelines.

 

Archiving and Preservation

The journal is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of published content through secure digital archiving and appropriate preservation practices.