Instructions for Authors

Authors are encouraged to read these guidelines carefully before preparing and submitting a manuscript. Manuscripts that do not comply with the guidelines may be returned without editorial review. All manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatically correct academic English. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly encouraged to seek professional language editing prior to submission.

Before submitting, authors should confirm the following: the manuscript is prepared using the official JGPI Template (.docx); the title is concise (≤ 20 words), informative, and free of abbreviations; all authors are listed with full names, ORCID iDs, and institutional affiliations; the corresponding author is identified with a valid institutional email address; the abstract falls within the required word limit (150–300 words) and is structured where required; four to eight standard subject keywords are provided; references are formatted in APA 7th Edition throughout; the manuscript is anonymized for double-blind review (no author details in the body or file metadata); and a separate Title Page is prepared containing all author details.

Authors must also confirm that an ethics approval or IRB statement is included where applicable; informed consent is declared for human subject studies; a Data Availability Statement is provided; conflicts of interest are declared; a funding statement is included; author contributions are listed using the CRediT taxonomy; a plagiarism self-check has been conducted with a similarity index below 20%; all figures meet a minimum resolution of 300 DPI; and a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief is attached.

Article Types & Word Limits

JGPI accepts manuscripts across a range of article types. Original Research Articles present new empirical data through quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches; these require an IMRaD-type structure and fall within a word limit of 4,000–8,000 words (excluding abstract, references, and captions), with a structured abstract of 250–300 words. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses follow PRISMA guidelines with a mandatory flow diagram, with a word limit of 5,000–10,000 words and a structured abstract of 250–300 words. Scoping Reviews follow PRISMA-ScR with a framework table required and a word limit of 4,000–8,000 words.

Narrative Reviews provide expert synthesis of a thematic area (4,000–8,000 words; unstructured abstract 150–250 words). Case Studies offer in-depth single or comparative country, institutional, or policy-level analysis (2,500–5,000 words; unstructured abstract 150–200 words; ≤ 50 references). Brief Communications and Research Notes are suited to pilot findings, methodology notes, or preliminary results (1,500–3,000 words; unstructured abstract 100–150 words; ≤ 30 references). Editorials and Commentaries present expert opinion on current political or policy issues (800–2,500 words; no abstract required; ≤ 20 references).

Word limits exclude the abstract, references, figure captions, and tables. Manuscripts exceeding the stated limit by more than 10% without prior editorial approval may be returned for revision before review commences.

Manuscript Template

All manuscripts submitted to JGPI must be prepared using the official JGPI Manuscript Template. Use of the template ensures correct formatting and significantly accelerates the editorial and production process. Manuscripts submitted without the template will be returned for reformatting before they enter the editorial queue.

The template specifies the following formatting standards: A4 page size (210 × 297 mm) with 2.5 cm margins on all sides; body text in Times New Roman 12 pt or Calibri 11 pt; 1.5-line spacing; section headings in bold title case, numbered hierarchically (1., 1.1, 1.1.1); tables numbered sequentially with titles above and notes below (no vertical borders); figures numbered sequentially with captions below and a minimum resolution of 300 DPI in TIFF or high-resolution JPG format; statistical reporting with exact p-values, confidence intervals, and effect sizes where applicable; and APA 7th Edition reference style throughout.

The JGPI Manuscript Template is available for download from the journal's official submission portal.

Submission Guidelines

JGPI accepts submissions exclusively through its online portal powered by Open Journal Systems (OJS). Authors must create an account on the portal before submitting. Email submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.

To submit, visit the JGPI OJS portal and register or log in. Select "New Submission," choose the appropriate Article Type, and confirm the pre-submission checklist. Upload the anonymized Main Manuscript (.docx), ensuring no author-identifying information appears in the body text or document metadata. Upload the separate Title Page (.docx) containing all author details — the system handles blinding automatically. Supplementary files including high-resolution figures, raw datasets, or ethics approvals should be uploaded as separate components.

Enter all required metadata: full title, running title, abstract, keywords, and complete author details (name, institution, ORCID, country) for every listed author, along with the corresponding author's email. Authors may optionally suggest three to five peer reviewers (name, institution, email) and should note any reviewer exclusions with reasons. Attach the Cover Letter as a separate file addressed to the Editor-in-Chief, stating the study's contribution and confirming exclusive submission. Review all information and click "Submit." Retain the automated confirmation email containing the Manuscript ID for all future correspondence.

Simultaneous submission to more than one journal constitutes a breach of publication ethics and will result in immediate rejection from JGPI. By submitting, authors confirm the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere and has not been previously published in substantially similar form.

Authorship & Contributions

JGPI follows the authorship criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Every listed author must satisfy all four of the following criteria: substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published; and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, including the accuracy and integrity of any part of the work.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet all four criteria should be named in the Acknowledgements section with their specific contributions described. This includes research assistants, data collectors, statistical consultants, language editors, and funding bodies.

Authors must provide a contribution statement using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework, specifying each author's role across the 14 CRediT categories: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, and Writing – review & editing. For example: "A.B.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – original draft. C.D.: Formal analysis, Visualization. E.F.: Supervision, Writing – review & editing."

Article Processing Charge (APC)

JGPI is a fully open-access journal. There is no Article Processing Charge (APC) for publishing in JGPI. Authors pay nothing — neither at submission, during review, nor upon acceptance and publication. JGPI is committed to removing financial barriers for researchers worldwide, particularly those affiliated with institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The following services are provided to all authors at no cost: peer review coordination and editorial management; professional copyediting and language polishing post-acceptance; XML/JATS tagging, PDF typesetting, and HTML full-text production; DOI registration via Crossref; long-term digital preservation via PKP Preservation Network / LOCKSS / CLOCKSS; and author-facing article metrics with Altmetric badge.

Publishing in JGPI is completely free for all authors, regardless of country, institution, or funding status. There are no submission fees, review fees, or publication fees at any stage.