Author Guidelines

All authors submitting manuscripts to Insights (Bhalwal) International Journal of Humanities, Management, and Social Sciences (IIJHMSS) are expected to comply with the following ethical, professional, and procedural guidelines. These principles are designed to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity, research ethics, and publication quality. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the rejection of a manuscript and, where appropriate, the suspension or withdrawal of future publishing privileges.

Reporting Standards

Authors must present their research accurately, honestly, and transparently. All data, research methods, analyses, findings, and interpretations should be clearly described and sufficiently documented to enable verification where appropriate. Any form of data fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or intentional misrepresentation constitutes serious academic misconduct and is strictly prohibited.

Originality of Research and Plagiarism

Manuscripts submitted to IIJHMSS must be entirely original. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all borrowed ideas, quotations, data, figures, or other intellectual contributions are appropriately acknowledged through proper citation and referencing. Any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript.

• Use quotation marks for all directly quoted material.
• Properly acknowledge paraphrased ideas and concepts.
• Ensure that the manuscript similarity index does not exceed 19% in accordance with the plagiarism policy of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.

Declaration and Certificate of Originality

Each manuscript submission must include a signed declaration confirming that:

• The manuscript is the original work of the author(s).
• The work has not been published previously.
• The manuscript is not under consideration by any other journal.
• For multi-authored papers, all authors have approved the final manuscript and agreed upon the order of authorship.

Submission of this declaration is mandatory before the editorial evaluation process begins.

Prohibition of Simultaneous Submissions

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Duplicate or concurrent submissions violate accepted publishing ethics and will result in immediate rejection. Authors responsible for such misconduct may be prohibited from making future submissions to the journal.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors are expected to provide complete and accurate acknowledgment of all sources used during the preparation of their manuscript.

• Cite all publications that influenced the research.
• Acknowledge individuals, institutions, and funding agencies where appropriate.
• Ensure that all references and citations are complete, accurate, and verifiable.
• Conduct an appropriate literature review and cite original and primary sources whenever possible.

Failure to provide appropriate acknowledgment may constitute plagiarism.

Authorship Credit

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the research.

• Ensure that every listed co-author has reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
• Obtain agreement from all authors regarding submission and authorship order.
• Exclude individuals who have not made significant scholarly contributions.
• Guest, honorary, or gift authorship is strictly prohibited.

Privacy and Informed Consent

Authors must respect the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of all research participants. Where identifiable personal information is included, informed consent must be obtained and clearly documented in the manuscript. Any disclosure of personal identity must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional approval requirements.

Access to Research Data

Authors should retain the original research data supporting their findings and must be prepared to provide raw data or supplementary materials if requested by the editors during the peer-review or editorial process for verification purposes.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation or presentation of their research.

• Financial relationships, grants, employment, consultancies, or honoraria.
• Institutional affiliations that may influence the research.
• Personal or professional relationships that may create bias.
• All financial support or sponsorship received for the research must be disclosed within the manuscript.

Acceptance and Rejection Conditions

• Authors may request an update on the status of their manuscript after 30 days from receiving the initial acknowledgment of submission.
• Where revisions are requested, authors should submit the revised manuscript within the specified deadline together with a detailed response explaining the changes made.
• Authors whose manuscripts are rejected may submit a formal appeal to the Editor with appropriate justification.
• The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection rests exclusively with the Editorial Board.

Author Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to Insights (Bhalwal) International Journal of Humanities, Management, and Social Sciences (IIJHMSS), authors confirm that they have read, understood, and agreed to comply with these publication ethics and author guidelines. Any violation of these policies may result in rejection of the manuscript, withdrawal of a published article where appropriate, and other actions deemed necessary by the Editorial Board to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.