Author Guidelines & Upcoming Issue Calls

1. Article Types & Word Limits

2. Manuscript Structure & Formatting

• Title Page (Separate File): Complete title, author names, institutional affiliations, corresponding author's email, and ORCID iDs.
• Anonymized Manuscript: Title, Abstract (200–250 words), 4–6 Keywords, Introduction, Main Headings, Conclusion, and References. (Must NOT contain author names).
• Font & Layout: 12pt Times New Roman / Georgia / Source Serif, 1.5 line spacing, 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides.
• Line Numbering: Continuous Line Numbering must be turned on in Microsoft Word (Layout → Line Numbers → Continuous) so double-blind peer reviewers can make precise line-by-line observations.
• File Formats: Microsoft Word (.docx / .doc) exclusively. (PDFs are not accepted for review submissions).

3. Citation System & DOIs

PIJCACE accepts standard MLA (9th Edition) format. Permanent Crossref DOIs must be provided for all cited references where available.

4. Plagiarism & Originality Policy

PIJCACE treats plagiarism as serious academic misconduct. By submitting, authors declare that the work is their own, that all sources are credited, and that it is not under review or published elsewhere.

What counts as plagiarism

• Copying text, data, images, or structure from another source without attribution and quotation marks.
• Close paraphrase or "patchwriting" that follows a source's wording or argument without credit.
• Using another scholar's ideas, arguments, or original findings without acknowledgement.
• Presenting another person's translation, gloss, or commentary on a primary text (Sanskrit, Bengali, or any other language) as one's own, or translating a source-language publication without credit.
• Self-plagiarism: reusing one's own published text, or publishing substantially the same work twice, without disclosure and citation. This includes overlap with theses, preprints, and conference papers.
• Fabricated, misattributed, or invented citations and quotations.

How we screen

Every submission is checked with Turnitin at desk screening, again when a revised version differs substantially from the original, and again on the accepted text before typesetting. Software does not catch everything, particularly translation, paraphrase, and non-English sources, so editors and reviewers also check for uncited borrowing.

An overall similarity index above 10%, or more than 5% from any single source (excluding the bibliography, properly quoted and cited passages, and standard titles and technical terms), triggers mandatory editorial review. A low score does not clear a manuscript, and a high score is not itself a verdict; the editors judge each case on the evidence.

Sanctions

• Minor, apparently unintentional (a few uncited passages, careless paraphrase): returned once for correction with a deadline; a manuscript that is not corrected is rejected.
• Substantial (extended uncited borrowing, undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication): rejection.
• Serious or deliberate (wholesale copying, fabrication, repeat offences): rejection, notification of the author's institution or funder, and a bar on further submissions for 3 years.
• After publication: the article is investigated and, where confirmed, corrected or retracted through Crossmark, and the author's institution may be informed.

Before any decision on a suspected case, authors are told what was found and are given the opportunity to respond (see our Ethics & Malpractice Statement for complaints and appeals). Undisclosed AI use is handled under the AI Research Policy.

5. Research Data Availability & Code Sharing Policy

In accordance with DOAJ and FAIR data principles, PIJCACE encourages authors of empirical, computational, archival, or survey-based research to provide a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript prior to the References section.

6. Author Name Change Policy

PIJCACE recognizes that authors may need to change their names on published scholarship for reasons including marriage, divorce, gender identity transition, or religious conversion. In alignment with international best practices on inclusive author name changes:

• Discretion & Confidentiality: Name changes are processed silently. We do not publish a public corrigendum or erratum notice unless explicitly requested by the author, safeguarding privacy and dignity.
• Crossref & Metadata Synchronization: The online article, full-text HTML, PDF repository files, and Crossref DOI metadata are updated to reflect the new author name and preserved with the author's verified ORCID.
• How to Request: Authors may email editor@poorvam.com with the subject line [Confidential Name Change Request]. No documentation of legal identity change is required beyond author email confirmation.

7. Consent to Publish & Permissions

Before publication, the corresponding author must sign the Consent to Publish Agreement. Articles that include images, artwork, or other third-party material must also include a completed Permissions Form with the rights-holders' written permissions. Submissions will not be published without these documents.

Authors retain copyright and may reuse their work, including depositing it in institutional or subject repositories, provided they cite PIJCACE as the original place of publication and give the article's DOI. See the Consent to Publish Agreement for the full terms.