General Principles

PCIJ publishes original, peer-reviewed research on the fundamental and translational mechanisms of
cellular and tissue injury, degeneration, adaptation, and repair. The journal welcomes rigorous work
spanning molecular biology, pathology, pharmacology, toxicology, regenerative medicine, and clinically
relevant experimental studies.

Manuscripts should follow the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) where
appropriate. By submitting a manuscript to PCIJ, authors confirm that the work is original, has not been
published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by another journal.

Language

Manuscripts must be written in clear, professional English. Authors who are not fluent in idiomatic
English are encouraged to obtain language editing support prior to submission. Reviewers are not
expected to correct grammar, and inadequate language quality may delay review or lead to rejection.

Before Submission

Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest in a dedicated manuscript section titled
“Conflicts of Interest”.
If no conflicts exist, include the following statement:

Authors must also disclose all sources of funding and any support related to the work (including APC support).
Funding sources must be acknowledged in an Acknowledgments or Funding statement.

Affiliations

Provide complete, accurate institutional affiliations reflecting where the research was approved, supported,
and/or conducted. If an author changes institution prior to publication, the affiliation associated with the work
should remain. Updated contact details may be included in Acknowledgments.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared according to ICMJE recommendations. Submit files in Microsoft Word format
(.doc, .docx, or .rtf). Use a standard 12-point font, double spacing, and numbered
pages. There is no fixed page limit, but clarity and concision are expected.

Initial Evaluation

Submissions undergo editorial screening for completeness, scope, scientific quality, ethical compliance,
and plagiarism screening using professional similarity-checking tools (e.g., iThenticate or equivalent).
Manuscripts may be rejected without external review if outside scope or not meeting baseline requirements.

Submission Declaration

By submitting a manuscript, the corresponding author confirms on behalf of all authors that:

• All authors meet authorship criteria, reviewed the manuscript, and approved the final version.
• The manuscript is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
• All data are honestly reported; raw data can be provided upon reasonable request.
• The manuscript contains no unlawful, defamatory, or confidential material.

Article Structure

Reporting Guidelines

Authors must follow recognized reporting standards appropriate to the study design:

• Randomized trials: CONSORT
• Observational studies: STROBE
• Systematic reviews/meta-analyses: PRISMA
• Diagnostic accuracy: STARD
• Case reports: CARE
• Animal studies: ARRIVE
• Qualitative research: SRQR

Additional guidance is available via the EQUATOR Network.

Article Types (Typical Limits)

• Original Research Articles (structured format; typically ≤ 4000 words)
• Review Articles / Systematic Reviews (typically ≤ 6000 words)
• Short Communications (typically ≤ 1500 words)
• Case Reports / Clinical Images (typically ≤ 2000 words)
• Editorials / Letters (typically ≤ 1000 words)

Manuscript Sections

• Title Page: Title; authors; affiliations; ORCID (recommended); corresponding author contact; funding; word count; number of figures/tables; conflict statement.
• Abstract: Structured (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions), 250–300 words; 4–6 keywords (MeSH preferred); trial registration if applicable.
• Introduction: Background and objectives/hypothesis.
• Methods: Design, setting, participants, ethics approval, interventions, outcomes, statistics.
• Results: Findings with logical flow; avoid duplication with tables/figures.
• Discussion: Interpretation, context, limitations, implications.
• Conclusions: Brief statements supported by results.
• References: AMA style; numbered consecutively in order of citation.

References (AMA Style)

Tables, Figures, and Images

Number tables/figures consecutively and provide clear titles and legends. Submit images as high-resolution
JPEG/TIFF (≥300 dpi). Authors must obtain written permission for any third-party copyrighted material.

Units and Abbreviations

Use SI units. Define abbreviations at first mention and avoid abbreviations in titles and abstracts.

Supplementary Materials

Clearly label supplementary files (e.g., Figure S1, Table S1) and include concise titles. Supplementary
materials are published online alongside the article.

Mandatory Statements & Declarations

Include a section titled “Statements and Declarations” before the References. Submissions
missing required statements may be returned as incomplete.

Funding

Disclose all financial support (agency name, grant number). State the funder’s role (if any) in study design,
data collection, analysis, interpretation, or publication decisions.

Competing Interests

Disclose any financial or non-financial competing interests. If none exist, state:
“The authors declare that they have no known competing interests.”

Author Contributions

Provide a clear Author Contributions statement. Authors may optionally use the CRediT taxonomy.

Ethical Approval

Research involving humans, human data, human biological material, or animals must include an ethics statement
specifying approval/exemption and the committee name and reference number where applicable.

Consent to Participate and Consent to Publish

For human studies, authors must confirm informed consent to participate (unless waived by a committee).
If identifiable information (e.g., images, case details) is included, explicit consent to publish is required.

Research Involving Humans

Studies must follow the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant institutional/national regulations.
Respect participant privacy and confidentiality at all times.

Research Involving Animals

Animal research must comply with applicable welfare standards and reporting guidance (ARRIVE recommended).
Report animal sex and, where relevant, discuss its influence on outcomes.

Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

Authors must disclose any use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools used to improve language, grammar, or
readability. Authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, and integrity. AI tools must not be
listed as authors.

Reviewers and editors should not use generative AI tools to process submitted manuscripts due to confidentiality.

Data Availability Statement

PCIJ encourages authors to include a Data Availability Statement describing how supporting data can be accessed
(repository link/DOI), whether available on request, or why data cannot be shared (ethical/legal/privacy reasons).

Submission Process

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s online submission system. During submission,
authors will be required to:

• Confirm originality and exclusive submission.
• Upload the manuscript and figure files (if applicable).
• Provide a cover letter summarizing novelty and significance.
• Declare competing interests and funding sources.
• Confirm ethics approval/informed consent where applicable.

If technical issues prevent submission, contact the Editorial Office at editorial@pcij.net.

After Acceptance

After acceptance, manuscripts enter production (copyediting, typesetting, proofing). Authors receive page proofs
and must return corrections within the specified timeframe. Substantive changes at proof stage are generally not
permitted without editorial approval.

Final articles are published online with immediate open access under the Creative Commons Attribution license
(CC BY 4.0) and assigned a Crossref DOI to ensure permanent accessibility and citation.