Guidelines
AyuPrabha invites high‑quality submissions from researchers, clinicians, educators and scholars working in Ayurveda, pharmacology, pharmacovigilance, traditional knowledge and integrative health. Manuscripts must be original, not previously published and not under consideration elsewhere. All authors should have approved the final version and agreed to submission.
1. Article types
The journal considers the following categories:
• Original research articles – full reports of empirical studies (clinical, experimental, observational, pharmacological, educational, health‑systems and related areas).
• Review articles and systematic reviews – critical, well‑referenced overviews of clearly defined topics; systematic reviews and meta‑analyses should follow established methods.
• Short communications / brief reports – concise reports of focused or preliminary findings.
• Case reports and case series – detailed clinical cases with clear learning points and adequate follow‑up.
• Methodological or conceptual papers – articles on research methods, diagnostic approaches, outcome measures or conceptual frameworks in Ayurveda.
• Clinical trial protocols – protocols of ethically approved and prospectively registered trials.
• Editorials, invited commentaries and letters to the editor – usually commissioned or responding to articles published in AyuPrabha.
As a general guide, original research articles are 4000–5000 words, reviews 5000–6000 words, short communications 1500–2500 words and case reports 1500–2000 words (excluding abstract, tables, figures and references). Reasonable deviations may be allowed at the editor’s discretion.
2. Manuscript formatting
To ensure consistency and efficient processing, manuscripts must follow these formatting requirements:
• File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).
• Font: Times New Roman throughout.
• Title: 14‑point, bold.
• All other text (including abstract, main text, references, tables and figure legends): 12‑point.
• Line spacing: Double‑spaced (or minimum 1.5‑spaced) throughout.
• Margins: At least 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides.
• Alignment: Left‑aligned; paragraphs separated by a single blank line or a standard first‑line indent.
• Columns: Submit in single‑column format; final issue layout will be handled in production.
• Page numbers: Number all pages consecutively at the bottom of the page.
• Headings: Use a clear hierarchy (e.g., bold for main headings, smaller bold or italics for sub‑headings) and avoid excessive sub‑levels.
Tables should be created with the Word table function, not as images, and placed at the end of the manuscript or uploaded separately as instructed. Figures should be high‑resolution (preferably ≥300 dpi) and submitted as separate files (JPEG, TIFF or PNG) with concise legends.
3. General structure
Unless otherwise specified, research articles should be organized as follows:
1.Title page (separate file, not visible to reviewers)
• Full title of the manuscript (Times New Roman, 14‑pt, bold).
• Full names of all authors and institutional affiliations.
• ORCID iD for each author (mandatory).
• Corresponding author’s postal address and email (telephone optional).
• Acknowledgements.
• Funding information.
• Conflict‑of‑interest declarations.
2.Anonymized main manuscript file (for double‑blind review)
• Title (without author names).
• Structured abstract (e.g., Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion) with 3–6 keywords.
• Main text with the following sections: Introduction; Materials and Methods / Methodology; Results; Discussion; Conclusion.
• References.
• Tables and figures (with legends) at the end of the document or as separate files, as per instructions.
Other article types (such as reviews, case reports, short communications and protocols) may use suitably adapted structures, described in the detailed instructions on the journal website.
4. Language, terminology and Vancouver references
Manuscripts should be written in clear, grammatically correct English. Ayurvedic terms may be used with appropriate transliteration and explained at first mention. Use SI units for all measurements and standard botanical, chemical and pharmacological nomenclature wherever applicable.
AyuPrabha uses the Vancouver reference style:
• In‑text citations appear as Arabic numerals in the order of first appearance.
• The reference list is numbered accordingly, with each item containing the standard Vancouver elements (authors, article title, journal title abbreviation, year, volume, issue and page numbers; or appropriate details for books and online resources).
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are accurate, complete and correctly formatted.
5. Ethical requirements – human / clinical research
For studies involving human participants (including clinical trials, observational studies, surveys, qualitative research and use of patient data), authors must confirm that the work complies with international and Indian ethical standards:
• Prior approval from an Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) or Institutional Review Board, in accordance with the current National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants issued by the national health research body.
• For integrative medicine or Ayurveda–modern collaborations, ethics review must follow the ethical requirements for research in integrative medicine, including appropriate AYUSH representation on the ethics committee where required.
• Clinical trials in Ayurveda should comply with Good Clinical Practice for ASU/AYUSH medicines, harmonized with ICH‑GCP principles.
• Research must respect the core principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (informed consent, risk–benefit balance, protection of vulnerable groups, independent review, etc.).
• Prospective trial registration (for example in CTRI) is expected for interventional clinical trials; the registry name and registration number should be stated in the manuscript.
• The Methods section must clearly describe ethics approval (with IEC name and approval number/date) and informed‑consent procedures.
6. Ethical requirements – animal research
For studies involving animals (e.g., safety/toxicity evaluation, pharmacology, experimental disease models):
• Prior approval from an Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) constituted and registered according to national regulations is mandatory.
• Experiments must follow the current guidelines of the national animal‑ethics authority (including housing, care, anesthesia/analgesia, humane endpoints and record‑keeping).
• Authors should adhere to the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) and are encouraged to follow recognised reporting standards such as the ARRIVE guidelines.
• The Methods section must clearly state IAEC approval details and briefly describe animal care and welfare measures.
7. Reporting guidelines
To promote transparency and reproducibility, authors are encouraged to follow established international reporting guidelines appropriate to their study design, for example:
• CONSORT for randomized controlled clinical trials.
• STROBE for observational studies.
• CARE for case reports and case series.
• PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta‑analyses.
• SPIRIT for clinical trial protocols.
Completed checklists and flow diagrams may be requested at submission or during review.
8. Double‑blind peer‑review requirements
AyuPrabha operates a double‑blind peer‑review process to reduce potential bias.
• The title page with author information and ORCID iDs must be uploaded as a separate file.
• The main manuscript file must not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgements that reveal identity or obvious institutional identifiers.
• Authors should remove identifying metadata from file properties and from supplementary material wherever possible.
Manuscripts that are not properly anonymized may be returned to authors for correction before review begins.
9. Originality, plagiarism and publication ethics
By submitting to AyuPrabha, authors confirm that:
• The work is original and has not been published, in whole or in part, in any other journal or book.
• The manuscript is not under active consideration elsewhere.
• The data are genuine and have not been fabricated, falsified or inappropriately manipulated.
The journal may use similarity‑checking tools to screen for plagiarism and redundant publication. Allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest or other forms of misconduct will be investigated in line with widely accepted international guidance, and may lead to rejection, retraction or notification of the authors’ institutions.
10. Submission process
All manuscripts must be submitted via the journal’s online submission system:
1.Register on the journal website and ensure that ORCID iDs are provided for all authors (in their profiles or on the title page).
2.Start a new submission and follow the step‑wise instructions.
3.Upload the required files:
• Anonymized main manuscript (single‑column, Times New Roman 12‑pt).
• Separate title page (Times New Roman 14‑pt bold title with full author details and ORCID iDs).
• Tables, figures and supplementary material, if any.
4.Enter information on ethics approval, trial registration, funding and conflicts of interest.
5.Upload any relevant reporting‑guideline checklists if requested.
6.Review all details and confirm the submission.
The corresponding author will receive an acknowledgement email. Submissions undergo initial editorial screening for scope, quality, formatting and compliance with these guidelines, followed by double‑blind peer review for manuscripts that pass the first stage.
