Policy Document

1. Frequency of the Journal: Quarterly

2. Guidelines for Submission of Research Articles

Instructions for Manuscript Submission

a). Language of Submission

All manuscripts must be written in English.

b). General Submission Requirements

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • The manuscript has not been published previously.
  • It is not under review elsewhere
  • The submission has been approved by all contributing authors.

C). Manuscript Structure

The manuscripts must be organized into the following sections:

i. Abstract

  • Maximum 150 words clearly stating the paper’s main contribution, methodology (if relevant), and key findings.
  • Followed by:
    • JEL classification codes
    • Three to five keywords

ii. Main Sections

  • Introduction: This section should include research objectives, hypotheses, relevant background, and a literature review that identifies gaps and how your work addresses them.
  • Data and Methodology
  • Results and Discussion
  • Conclusion and Policy Implications (if relevant)

Note: Use clear, descriptive subheadings throughout the manuscript.

iii. Tables

  • Number tables in the main text and appendices separately and sequentially.
  • Titles should clearly describe the contents.
  • Include the source immediately below each table.

iv. Figures and Graphs

  • Submit in editable format (not as images).
  • Ensure they are optimized for black-and-white printing.

v. Footnotes

  • Number consecutively within each appendix, table, or figure.
  • Do not mix footnotes across elements.

vi. Referencing

  • Use APA style for all references.
  • Reference management software such as Mendeley or EndNote may be used.

vii. Authorship

Changes in authorship (e.g., adding/removing authors, or reordering names) are not allowed after submission. Authors must ensure that all contributors are correctly listed before submission.

viii. Originality Requirement

Submissions are accepted on the condition that they constitute original contributions to the body of knowledge in the social sciences.

ix. Data and Replication Files

Authors of empirical and computational papers are required to submit a complete replication package upon acceptance. The package should include:

  • The dataset(s) used.
  • All code necessary to replicate the results (e.g., data cleaning, analysis, and figures),
  • A README file describing the files, software used, and steps to reproduce all tables and figures.

The replication package must allow an independent researcher to reproduce the paper's results in full.

Exemption: By default, the replication package will be made publicly available on the journal’s website or data repository. However, in case the data is proprietary and/or confidential, authors may request an exemption from the requirement to provide data and other files (such as code) at the time of initial submission in the submission cover letter. Nevertheless, authors must still inform the editors of other sources or means to access or obtain the data for replication. Exceptions will not be entertained later in the review and publication process.

3. Peer Review Policy

The Pakistan Development Review strictly follows the double-blind peer review process

The editorial board has decided that all articles starting from Vol 64, No. 2 will be sent to one national and two foreign reviewers. 

4. Originality and Plagiarism Policy

i. Submissions are accepted on the condition that they constitute original contributions to the body of knowledge in social sciences.

ii. As per the policy of our journal, we process papers having a less than 15% similarity index, which is checked by using the HEC-prescribed software, Turnitin.

5. Subscription Details

Annual Subscription

(includes all Regular Issues of the Journal)

Annual Subscription

Surface Mail

Air Mail

Individuals

Rs. 300.00

Rs. 450.00

Institutions

Rs. 450.00

Rs. 600.00

Per Copy of the Regular Issue

Rs. 125.00

Rs. 150.00

Paper and Proceedings Issue Only

Rs. 400.00

Rs. 500.00

Students

 

 

Annual Subscription

Rs. 100.00

Rs. 250.00

Per Copy

Rs. 30.00

Rs. 65.00

6. Ethical Guidelines

The PDR is committed to ensuring the standards of publication ethics and integrity by following a fair, transparent, and timely peer-review process. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted work is original, free from plagiarism, and has not been published or submitted elsewhere, mentioning acknowledgement of funding sources or conflicts of interest and citation of others’ work. Plagiarism and research misconduct will result in rejection and/or the retraction of the manuscripts. The PDR reserves the right to retract published articles if substantial errors, ethical breaches, or cases of misconduct are identified after publication.

7. Privacy Statement

The journal collects personal information, such as authors' names, affiliations, email addresses, and ORCID IDs, to facilitate manuscript submission, editorial processing, peer review, and publication activities. Information relating to reviewers and editors is used exclusively to administer the peer-review process and is maintained in strict confidence.

All submitted manuscripts and their accompanying data are securely stored within the journal’s editorial management system. This information may be shared with approved third-party services, including plagiarism-screening platforms and indexing agencies, solely to support academic functions and operational requirements.

Information made public in published articles reflects the details provided by authors and remains permanently available. Records of unpublished submissions and related data are preserved for administrative and archival purposes.

The journal does not use personal data for marketing or any non-scholarly purposes, nor is such information disclosed to unauthorized parties. Individuals may request access to their personal data, seek its correction, or request its deletion, in accordance with applicable data protection regulations.

8. Author Agreement Form: NA

 9. Deadlines of all Processes:

a. Paper Submission

Articles are submitted through Online Journal Submission (OJS). After initial scrutiny to:

i. determine that the submitted articles fall within the scope of the journal and check the Similarity Index from Turnitin.

Receipt to Authors and Consent of Co-authors: Receipts against all submissions are sent to authors via OJS within two working days from the date of submission. The purpose is to send a receipt of submitted articles and obtain consents from the mentioned co-authors.

b. Review of Articles

Desk Review Decision: The internal editorial team conducts the desk review, and the decision to send the paper for external review (including one national reviewer and two foreign reviewers) is made within one to two weeks of the paper's submission date. Comments of reviewers are shared with the authors as soon as they are received, with the instruction to submit the revised draft after incorporating all comments within two weeks. Revised drafts are examined by the internal editorial team, and if needed, may also be sent to the relevant national or foreign reviewers to verify that all comments have been incorporated.

c. Acceptance of Articles and Publication of Articles

Once all comments are incorporated and the revised draft is verified by the editorial team, a formal Acceptance email is sent to the authors informing them in which Volume and Issue their paper will be published.

The draft is sent to the Publications Section so that formatting of text, tables, and references may be done along with the language editing of the manuscript. Once completed in all respects, the DOI number is obtained and the article is immediately published online.

d. Timelines of Publication of Article

    • The average time from submission to first decision is 2 weeks.
    • “The peer-review process typically takes 18–24 weeks.
    • “Accepted articles are published online within 2–3 weeks after acceptance.”
    • “Average submission-to-publication time: 150 days.
    • In most cases, articles are published when ready.
    • Complimentary hard copies of the journal are sent to all authors.

For a more comprehensive processing detail of submitted articles, please see Table 1 below:

Table 1: Steps Involved from Date of Receipt till Publication of Submitted Articles

 

Process Step

Responsible Role(s)

Key Actions

1

Manuscript Submission

Authors (initiator)

Authors submit manuscript to OJS.

2

Initial Technical Screening

Literary Editor

Literary Editor checks for completeness of the submission package.

Conducts technical checks: formatting, references, plagiarism, and compliance with journal policies. Non-compliant manuscripts are returned to authors for correction.

3

Scope & Quality Check

Co-Editor

Conducts the initial evaluation & Reviews compliant manuscripts for fit with the journal scope and minimum quality standards.

Desk rejects if unsuitable.

4

Assignment to Associate Editor

Co-Editor

Assigns manuscript to an appropriate Associate Editor (based on subject expertise).

5

Reviewer Identification

Co-Editor, Associate Editors (AE),

Editorial Assistant (National & Foreign reviewers

AE undertakes a detailed assessment of its scholarly quality, originality, and overall presentation.

Should the manuscript fail to meet the journal’s standards, the AE communicates a recommendation of rejection to the Co-Editor.

If the manuscript is of publishable quality, the AE proceeds to identify appropriate potential reviewers.

 

Editorial Assistant provides support by managing reviewer databases and facilitating the identification and engagement of qualified national & international reviewers.

6

Reviewer Invitation & Confirmation

Associate Editor

AE sends reviewer invitations, confirms acceptance, and ensures a timely response.

7

Peer Review Process

External Reviewers (managed by Associate Editors)

Reviewers evaluate the manuscript and submit reports.

8

Evaluation of Reviews

Associate Editor

Collects and assesses reviewer reports. Provides recommendation (accept/revise/reject) to Co-Editor.

9

Consolidation of Feedback

Co-Editor

Consolidates reviewer feedback, makes final recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief.

10

Decision Communication

Associate Editors (with oversight of Co-Editor)

Communicate decision (accept/revise/reject) to authors. Provide reviewers’ comments for revisions.

11

Revision Process

Authors (revision) + Associate Editor & Literary Editor (verification)

Authors submit revised manuscript.

Literary Editor checks compliance.

 

Associate Editor assesses whether reviewer/editor concerns are addressed.

12

Final Acceptance

Co-Editor (recommendation) + Editor (final approval)

Co-Editor submits final recommendation to Editor. If approved, manuscript is accepted.

13

Copyediting & Proofing

Literary Editor

Ensures language, style, and formatting meet journal standards.

Prepares final version for publication.

14

Administrative & Records Management

Literary Editor & Editorial Assistant

Maintain reviewer payments, records, and communications with HEC

(if applicable).

15

Publication

Editorial Office (Co-Editor & Literary Editor)

Publish manuscript in the journal issue through OJS system and notify authors.

10. Article Processing / Publication Fee

The journal has no processing / publication fee from submission till publication.

11. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

The Journal strictly follows all ethical consideration. At the time of submission, the author(s) are required to disclose potential “conflict of interests” that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work.

12. Correction and Retraction of Research Articles

The Journal is committed to ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. All corrections and retractions follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

  • Corrections

Corrections are issued when an article contains errors that do not change the overall findings.

  • Erratum: Issued for mistakes introduced by the journal (e.g., production or typesetting errors).
  • Corrigendum: Issued for author-identified errors (e.g., minor data or typographical issues).

Corrections are published as separate notices linked to the original article, which remains accessible with a note indicating the correction.

  • Retractions

Retractions are issued when serious problems invalidate the results or breach ethical standards.

  • Reasons may include:
  • Fabricated or falsified data
  • Plagiarism or duplicate publication
  • Unethical research practices
  • Major errors affecting conclusions
  • Authorship or peer-review misconduct

Retraction notices clearly state the reason and remain permanently linked to the original article, which is marked “Retracted.”

  • Expressions of Concern

If an article is under investigation and a decision is pending, the Journal may issue an Expression of Concern to alert readers.

13. Contribution and Consents of each Author and any other information

Receipts against all submissions are sent to authors via OJS within two working days from the date of submission. The purpose is to send a receipt of submitted articles and obtain consents from the mentioned co-authors, along with verifying the contributory role of each author as mentioned by the corresponding author while submitting the paper.