Submissions

1. About the Journal

The Ghana Pharmaceutical Journal (GPJ) is the official journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH). GPJ is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical sciences, public health and healthcare through the publication of rigorous, relevant and innovative scholarship.

The Journal welcomes research from Ghana, Africa and the wider international community. Particular consideration is given to work that advances pharmaceutical knowledge, informs professional practice or policy, addresses health-system challenges, or contributes to the safe, effective and equitable use of medicines.

GPJ is published biannually, with formal issues in June and December. Accepted articles may be published online on a rolling basis ahead of issue publication.

GPJ does not charge article processing charges (APCs), submission fees or subscription fees.

2. Scope

GPJ welcomes manuscripts across pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, healthcare and related disciplines. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

2.1 Pharmacy Practice and Medicines Use

• Clinical, hospital and community pharmacy

• Pharmaceutical care

• Medication adherence

• Polypharmacy and deprescribing

• Medication safety

• Pharmacovigilance

• Pharmacoepidemiology

• Antimicrobial stewardship

• Rational use of medicines

• Advanced therapy medicinal products

2.2 Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development

• Pharmacology and toxicology

• Pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical technology

• Medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry

• Pharmacognosy and natural products

• Drug discovery and development

• Pharmacokinetics and biopharmaceutics

• Pharmaceutical analysis

• Biotechnology and biological medicines

• Traditional and complementary medicines

• Pharmacogenomics and precision medicine

2.3 Public Health, Pharmaceutical Policy and Health Systems

• Medicines policy, regulation and governance

• Pharmaceutical supply chains and procurement

• Access to essential medicines and health technologies

• Medicines quality and pharmaceutical traceability

• Health economics and pharmacoeconomics

• Health-system strengthening

• Universal health coverage

• Chronic disease prevention and management

• Immunization and vaccine-related research

• Reproductive and sexual health

• Mental health

• Substance-use research

• Emergency preparedness and response

• Climate-resilient pharmaceutical and healthcare systems

2.4 Pharmacy Education and Workforce Development

• Pharmacy and health professions education

• Curriculum development and innovation

• Experiential learning

• Competency development

• Continuing professional development

• Workforce planning

• Professional development and leadership

2.5 Emerging and Interdisciplinary Areas

• Digital health and telepharmacy

• Artificial intelligence and data science

• Implementation science

• Behavioural and social sciences

• Health communication

• Healthcare innovation

• Interprofessional practice

• Automation and healthcare service redesign

GPJ welcomes quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research as well as laboratory, translational, clinical, epidemiological, implementation and health-systems studies.

The Journal also welcomes evidence-informed Policy Briefs that translate scientific findings, professional experience and health-systems evidence into practical recommendations for policymakers, regulators, professional organizations, healthcare institutions and other stakeholders.

3. Categories of Manuscripts

GPJ does not impose rigid word limits. The ranges below are intended to encourage clear and concise reporting while allowing authors sufficient space to describe their methods, findings and scholarly contributions adequately.

Word counts normally exclude the abstract, references, tables, figures and supplementary material.

Editors may permit manuscripts outside these ranges where the nature of the work warrants it.

4. General Requirements for Submission

Manuscripts submitted to GPJ must:

1. Represent original scholarly work.

2. Not have been published previously, except where legitimate preprint, conference abstract or other permitted prior dissemination is declared.

3. Not be under consideration by another journal.

4. Fall within the scope of GPJ.

5. Have been read and approved by all listed authors.

6. Appropriately acknowledge all sources of information, data and intellectual contribution.

7. Comply with applicable ethical and research-governance requirements.

8. Be written clearly enough to permit scientific and editorial assessment.

Manuscripts that do not substantially comply with these guidelines may be returned to authors before peer review.

5. Preparing the Manuscript

GPJ operates a double-blind peer-review system. Authors must therefore separate identifying information from the manuscript submitted for review.

Two principal files should be prepared.

File 1: Title Page

The title page should contain:

• Full title of the manuscript

• Short running title, where applicable

• Full names of all authors

• Institutional affiliation(s) of each author

• ORCID identifiers, where available

• Name, institutional address and email address of the corresponding author

• Author contribution statement

• Funding statement

• Conflict-of-interest declaration

• Acknowledgements, where applicable

File 2: Blinded Manuscript

The blinded manuscript should contain:

• Title

• Abstract, where required

• Three to six keywords, where applicable

• Main text

• References

• Tables

• Figure legends

• Figures, where permitted within the manuscript file

Authors should remove names, institutional affiliations, acknowledgements and other information that could reasonably reveal their identities to reviewers.

The same requirements apply to Policy Briefs. Any executive summary, policy recommendations table or supplementary policy analysis should be included in the blinded manuscript without identifying the authors.

6. Manuscript Formatting

Manuscripts should:

• Be submitted preferably as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx).

• Use a clear, standard 11- or 12-point font.

• Use double or 1.5-line spacing.

• Have continuous page numbering.

• Preferably include continuous line numbering.

• Use standard international scientific terminology.

• Define abbreviations when first used.

• Use SI units wherever appropriate.

• Use generic names of medicines wherever possible.

Proprietary or brand names may be included when scientifically necessary but should be accompanied by the generic name.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts have been carefully proofread before submission.

7. Structure of Original Research Articles

Original Research Articles should generally follow the structure below.

7.1 Title

The title should be concise, informative and accurately reflect the study.

Avoid unnecessary abbreviations, overly broad claims and phrases such as "A Study of…" where they add little information.

Where appropriate, the study design should be identifiable from the title.

7.2 Abstract

The abstract should not exceed 300 words and should normally be structured under the following headings:

• Background: Brief context and the objective or research question.

• Methods: Study design, setting, participants or materials, key procedures and analysis.

• Results: Principal findings, including important quantitative results where applicable.

• Conclusion: Main interpretation and implications arising directly from the results.

References should not normally be cited in the abstract.

7.3 Keywords

Provide three to six keywords immediately after the abstract.

Authors are encouraged to use recognized indexing terms such as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) where appropriate.

7.4 Introduction

The Introduction should establish the context of the research, identify the relevant knowledge or practice gap, explain the rationale for the study and end with a clearly stated objective, research question or hypothesis.

It should not provide an unnecessarily extensive review of the literature.

7.5 Methods

The Methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow readers to evaluate and, where appropriate, reproduce the study.

Depending on the study, this should include:

• Study design and setting

• Study population or experimental material

• Eligibility criteria

• Sampling and sample-size determination

• Randomization and blinding, where applicable

• Experimental or data-collection procedures

• Instruments and outcome measures

• Intervention or exposure definitions

• Laboratory methods

• Statistical or qualitative analysis

• Software and version used, where relevant

• Ethical approval

• Informed consent procedures

Established methods may be referenced, but modifications should be described.

7.6 Results

Results should be presented clearly and logically and should correspond to the objectives and methods described.

Authors should report relevant descriptive and inferential statistics, provide effect estimates and confidence intervals where appropriate, report exact p values where feasible, and avoid unnecessarily duplicating data in tables and text.

Findings should be distinguished from their interpretation.

7.7 Discussion

The Discussion should:

1. Summarize the principal findings.

2. Interpret their significance.

3. Compare findings with relevant literature.

4. Discuss plausible explanations for similarities or differences.

5. Consider implications for practice, research, education or policy, as appropriate.

6. Acknowledge important strengths and limitations.

7. Avoid conclusions that extend beyond the evidence generated by the study.

7.8 Conclusion

The Conclusion should be concise and directly supported by the findings.

Recommendations should arise logically from the evidence presented and should avoid unsupported generalization.

8. Review Articles

8.1 Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses

Systematic reviews should follow recognized reporting standards such as PRISMA and clearly describe the review question, eligibility criteria, information sources, search strategy, study-selection procedures, data extraction, assessment of study quality or risk of bias, data synthesis and protocol registration where applicable.

A complete search strategy for at least one major database should be provided, preferably as supplementary material.

8.2 Scoping Reviews

Scoping reviews should follow an appropriate reporting framework, such as PRISMA-ScR.

Authors should clearly describe the review objectives, eligibility criteria, information sources, search methods, evidence-selection procedures, data-charting methods and approach to synthesizing the evidence.

8.3 Narrative Reviews

Narrative reviews should have a clearly defined purpose and scope, a transparent approach to literature identification where appropriate, critical synthesis rather than simple description of previous studies, and clear conclusions regarding implications and remaining knowledge gaps.

9. Policy Briefs

9.1 Purpose and Scope

GPJ welcomes Policy Briefs that translate scientific evidence, research findings and health-system experience into actionable recommendations for policymakers, regulators, healthcare institutions, professional associations and other stakeholders.

Policy Briefs should address clearly defined policy challenges relevant to pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, medicines regulation, public health or healthcare delivery.

Topics may include pharmaceutical regulation, medicines quality and safety, access to medicines, pharmaceutical supply chains, workforce development, medicines financing, antimicrobial resistance, digital health, climate-resilient pharmaceutical systems and health-system strengthening.

Policy Briefs may address national, regional or international policy issues, provided they demonstrate relevance to pharmaceutical systems, healthcare policy or professional practice.

9.2 General Requirements

Policy Briefs should:

1. Identify a significant and clearly defined policy problem.

2. Explain why the issue requires policy attention.

3. Present credible and appropriately referenced evidence.

4. Examine relevant policy gaps, implementation challenges or opportunities for improvement.

5. Provide specific, feasible and evidence-informed recommendations.

6. Identify relevant institutions or stakeholders responsible for implementing the proposed recommendations.

7. Consider implementation barriers, resource implications and contextual factors.

8. Communicate findings in clear and accessible language suitable for both scientific and policy audiences.

Policy Briefs should be analytical rather than purely descriptive.

Submissions that primarily express personal opinions without adequate supporting evidence may be more appropriately considered under the Commentary/Perspective category.

9.3 Length and Format

Policy Briefs should normally contain 1,500–3,000 words, excluding the abstract, references, tables, figures and supplementary material.

The abstract should not exceed 200 words. Three to six keywords should be provided.

Preferably, no more than 30 references should be included.

Authors are encouraged to use concise tables, figures, infographics or summary boxes where these improve communication of the evidence or recommendations.

9.4 Recommended Structure

Policy Briefs should generally follow the structure below.

Title

The title should clearly communicate the policy issue being addressed and should be understandable to readers beyond the immediate research discipline.

Abstract

The abstract should briefly summarize the policy problem, principal evidence, key recommendations and expected implications for policy or practice.

A structured abstract is not mandatory.

Executive Summary

Provide a concise overview of the policy issue, key findings and principal recommendations, preferably within 150–250 words.

The executive summary should enable policymakers and other decision-makers to understand the central message without reading the entire document.

Background and Policy Context

Describe the nature and significance of the policy problem, the populations or institutions affected, and relevant existing policies, regulations or interventions.

Explain why policy attention, reform or implementation action is necessary.

Evidence and Key Findings

Present the evidence supporting the identification and analysis of the policy problem.

Evidence may be drawn from peer-reviewed research, systematic reviews, regulatory reports, national surveys, administrative data, policy documents, programme evaluations, stakeholder consultations and other credible sources.

Authors should explain how the evidence was identified and selected, particularly where the brief is based on a targeted evidence review, consultation exercise or original analysis.

Important limitations, uncertainties and contextual considerations should be acknowledged.

Policy Options and Considerations

Where appropriate, identify and critically assess existing or potential policy approaches.

Consider feasibility, effectiveness, financial implications, institutional requirements, equity, sustainability and potential unintended consequences.

Where several options are presented, the rationale for the preferred approach should be explained.

Policy Recommendations

Recommendations should be specific, actionable, evidence-informed and proportionate to the strength of the available evidence.

Where possible, each recommendation should identify the proposed action, responsible stakeholder, implementation considerations and expected outcome.

Authors may distinguish between short-, medium- and long-term recommendations where appropriate.

A summary table is encouraged, using the following format:

Implementation and Policy Implications

Discuss how the recommendations could be translated into policy or practice.

Relevant considerations may include implementation priorities, institutional responsibilities, stakeholder engagement, financing, capacity development, monitoring and evaluation, and potential implementation barriers.

Recommendations should reflect the practical realities of the intended policy environment, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

Conclusion

Provide a concise concluding statement emphasizing the significance of the policy issue and the principal action required.

The conclusion should not introduce new evidence or recommendations.

9.5 Evidence and Referencing

All substantive factual claims and policy recommendations should be supported by credible evidence.

Authors should prioritize authoritative sources, including peer-reviewed publications, official government documents, regulatory publications, international agency reports and appropriately documented programme evaluations.

References should follow the journal's author–date referencing style.

Authors should distinguish clearly between established evidence, interpretation and proposed policy actions.

9.6 Originality and Prior Dissemination

Policy Briefs should represent original scholarly analysis or synthesis.

A Policy Brief may draw on previously published research, technical reports or policy documents, provided these are appropriately acknowledged and the manuscript offers a distinct contribution through critical synthesis, contextual interpretation or new policy recommendations.

Authors must disclose any previous publication or public dissemination of substantially similar material.

Manuscripts that merely reproduce existing institutional reports or advocacy documents without substantial scholarly contribution may not be considered for publication.

9.7 Ethical Considerations and Conflicts of Interest

Policy Briefs must comply with GPJ's policies on authorship, research integrity, funding disclosure and conflicts of interest.

Authors should disclose relevant affiliations, financial interests, institutional relationships or advocacy roles that could influence the interpretation of evidence or recommendations.

Where a Policy Brief includes original research involving human participants or identifiable data, applicable ethical approval and informed consent requirements must be satisfied.

Authors must disclose whether the brief was commissioned or supported by a government agency, professional association, commercial organization or other interested institution.

9.8 Peer Review and Editorial Assessment

Policy Briefs are subject to the journal's established editorial screening and peer-review procedures.

Assessment will consider the significance and relevance of the policy issue, credibility of supporting evidence, analytical rigour, originality, clarity, feasibility of recommendations and potential contribution to policy development or implementation.

The Journal particularly encourages Policy Briefs that bridge the gap between pharmaceutical research, professional practice and policy implementation.

10. Reporting Guidelines

GPJ strongly encourages the use of recognized reporting guidelines appropriate to the study design.

Examples include:

• CONSORT: Randomized controlled trials

• STROBE: Observational studies

• PRISMA: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

• PRISMA-ScR: Scoping reviews

• CARE: Case reports

• COREQ or SRQR: Qualitative research

• STARD: Diagnostic accuracy studies

• ARRIVE: Animal research

• CHEERS: Health economic evaluations

• SQUIRE: Quality-improvement studies

• TRIPOD: Prediction-model studies

Where applicable, authors should submit the relevant completed reporting checklist with their manuscript.

Policy Briefs should follow the requirements outlined in Section 9. Where a Policy Brief reports original research or a structured evidence synthesis, the relevant reporting guideline should also be followed.

11. Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants, identifiable human information, biological samples or animals must comply with relevant national, institutional and international ethical standards.

For human studies, the Methods section should state the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board, the approval or reference number, and how informed consent was obtained or why it was waived.

For research involving animals, authors should identify the relevant institutional or national approval and demonstrate adherence to accepted standards of humane animal research.

Where ethical approval is not required, authors should state this and provide a justification where appropriate.

The Journal reserves the right to request copies of ethical approval documentation.

12. Clinical Trial Registration

Prospective clinical trials should be registered in a publicly accessible and recognized clinical trial registry.

The registry name and registration number should appear at the end of the abstract and in the Methods section.

13. Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantive intellectual contributions to the work.

All authors should:

1. Have contributed significantly to the conception, design, acquisition, analysis or interpretation of the work.

2. Have contributed to drafting or critically revising the manuscript.

3. Approve the version submitted for publication.

4. Accept accountability for their contribution to the work.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged, with their permission.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have approved the submission and that authorship information is accurate.

GPJ may request a statement describing each author's contribution.

The CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy is recommended for reporting individual contributions.

14. Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove or rearrange authors after submission must provide a clear justification, have the written agreement of all authors (including any author being added or removed), and receive editorial approval.

Changes after acceptance will be permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

15. Conflicts of Interest

All authors must declare any financial, personal, professional, institutional or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived to influence the work.

If no conflicts exist, authors should state:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Disclosure of a potential conflict does not automatically prevent publication.

For Policy Briefs, declarations should also include relevant advisory, consultancy, advocacy, regulatory or institutional roles that may influence the analysis or recommendations.

16. Funding

All sources of financial and material support must be disclosed.

Authors should state the name of the funder, grant number where applicable, and whether the funder had any role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation or the decision to submit.

Where no external funding was received, authors may state:

Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

For commissioned Policy Briefs, the commissioning organization and its role in developing or approving the manuscript should be disclosed.

17. Acknowledgements

Individuals, institutions or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged.

Authors should obtain permission from individuals who are named in the acknowledgements.

18. Use of Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies

Artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI and large language models, cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for published work.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy of submitted content, verification of facts and references, originality of the manuscript, protection of confidential or personally identifiable information, and compliance with research and publication ethics.

Where generative AI has been used substantively in manuscript preparation, analysis, coding, image generation or another component of the research or writing process, its use should be transparently disclosed.

The disclosure should identify the tool used, the purpose for which it was used and the extent of its use.

Routine spelling, grammar or reference-management software does not normally require disclosure.

AI-generated or AI-manipulated data, images or results must not be presented as genuine experimental observations.

19. Data Availability and Research Transparency

Authors are encouraged to make the data underlying their findings available wherever ethically, legally and practically possible.

Manuscripts should include a Data Availability Statement, for example:

Data Availability: The datasets generated and/or analysed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Where data are deposited in a repository, authors should provide the repository name, persistent identifier or accession number.

Restrictions arising from participant confidentiality, data-protection requirements or contractual agreements should be clearly explained.

Editors or reviewers may request access to relevant underlying data where necessary to assess the integrity of the work.

For Policy Briefs based entirely on publicly available documents or published literature, authors should identify the principal evidence sources and provide an appropriate data availability or evidence-access statement.

20. Preprints

Posting a manuscript on a recognized non-commercial preprint server does not necessarily constitute prior publication.

Authors must disclose the existence of any preprint at submission and provide its DOI or persistent link.

If the manuscript is subsequently published in GPJ, authors should update the preprint record to link to the published version where possible.

21. Tables

Tables should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited, have concise and informative titles, and be understandable without extensive reference to the main text.

Abbreviations should be defined in footnotes. Unnecessary duplication of information already provided in figures or text should be avoided.

Tables should be editable rather than submitted solely as images.

Statistical notation and units should be clearly identified.

Policy Briefs may include tables summarizing policy options, implementation considerations, stakeholder responsibilities or recommendations.

22. Figures

Figures should be numbered consecutively, cited in the manuscript, accompanied by informative legends and of sufficient quality for publication.

Labels must remain legible at publication size.

Photographs or images that could identify an individual require explicit written consent for publication.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce figures, photographs or other copyrighted material from previously published sources.

Any digital enhancement of scientific images must apply to the entire image and must not selectively alter, obscure, introduce or remove scientific information.

23. Supplementary Material

Supplementary material may include datasets, detailed methods, questionnaires, interview guides, reporting checklists, additional tables or figures, statistical code, multimedia material and other resources that support reproducibility.

For Policy Briefs, supplementary material may include extended evidence summaries, policy analyses, stakeholder consultation methods, implementation frameworks or supporting technical reports.

Supplementary files should be referred to clearly in the manuscript.

24. References

GPJ uses an author–date referencing system consistent with Harvard referencing conventions.

References cited in the text should include the surname of the author and the year of publication.

24.1 In-text Citations

For a work by one author:

(Mensah, 2025)

or

Mensah (2025) reported that medication adherence remained suboptimal.

For a work by two authors:

(Mensah and Owusu, 2025)

For a work by three or more authors:

(Mensah et al., 2025)

Where several references are cited together, they should normally be presented chronologically and separated by semicolons:

(Boateng, 2018; Mensah and Owusu, 2021; Asare et al., 2025)

Where two or more publications by the same author or group of authors were published in the same year, lowercase letters should be used:

(Mensah, 2025a, 2025b)

For direct quotations, the page number should also be provided where applicable:

(Mensah, 2025, p. 24)

24.2 Reference List

The reference list should appear at the end of the manuscript and be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author.

It should include all works cited in the text and no uncited works, provide complete bibliographic information, include DOI information where available, and use a consistent format throughout.

Journal names may be written in full unless the Journal specifies otherwise.

The following examples illustrate the required formatting. Entries containing placeholder information are illustrative and should not be treated as verified publications.

Journal Article

Mensah, K.B., Owusu-Daaku, F.T. and Ansah, C. (2025) 'Medication adherence and pharmaceutical care among patients with chronic disease in Ghana', Ghana Pharmaceutical Journal, 12(2), pp. 45–54. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Journal Article with Multiple Authors

Asare, P., Boateng, J., Mante, P.K. et al. (2024) 'Pharmacists' contribution to antimicrobial stewardship in tertiary hospitals', Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice, 18(3), pp. 210–219. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Book

Katzung, B.G. and Vanderah, T.W. (2024) Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. 16th edn. New York: McGraw Hill.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Mensah, A.K. (2023) 'Medicines use in low-resource health systems', in Owusu, P. and Boateng, R. (eds.) Pharmaceutical Care in Africa. Accra: Academic Press Ghana, pp. 85–102.

Website

World Health Organization (2025) Antimicrobial resistance. Available at: URL (Accessed: 12 August 2026).

Government or Institutional Report

Ministry of Health Ghana (2024) National Medicines Policy. Accra: Ministry of Health.

Thesis or Dissertation

Owusu, K. (2023) Medication adherence among patients with hypertension in Kumasi. PhD thesis. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Conference Paper

Boateng, E., Mensah, P. and Asare, K. (2024) 'Digital health interventions in community pharmacy practice', paper presented at the Annual Scientific Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, 15–17 September.

Policy Document

Issuing Institution (Year) Title of Policy Document. Place of publication: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year), where applicable.

Policy Brief

Author(s) or Issuing Institution (Year) Title of Policy Brief. Policy Brief number, where applicable. Place of publication: Publisher. Available at: URL or DOI.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference-management software such as Zotero, EndNote or Mendeley.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and completeness of all references.

25. Statistical Reporting

Authors should describe statistical methods with sufficient detail for knowledgeable readers to assess their appropriateness.

Where relevant, authors should:

• Report the statistical tests used.

• Report measures of effect with confidence intervals.

• Distinguish standard deviation from standard error.

• Provide exact p values where feasible.

• State the statistical significance threshold.

• Explain the handling of missing data.

• Describe adjustment for multiple comparisons where applicable.

• Report sample-size or power calculations where relevant.

• Identify statistical software and version.

Statistical significance should not be interpreted as equivalent to clinical or practical importance.

26. Nomenclature and Units

SI units should be used wherever appropriate.

Drug names should preferably be stated using their International Nonproprietary Names (INN) or accepted generic names.

Scientific names of organisms should be italicized and written in full at first mention, for example:

Azadirachta indica A. Juss.

Thereafter, the genus may be abbreviated where this does not create ambiguity.

Plant studies should provide appropriate botanical identification, authentication and voucher-specimen information where applicable.

27. Language

Manuscripts should be submitted in clear English.

Either British or American English may be used, but usage must be consistent throughout the manuscript.

Authors whose manuscripts require substantial language correction may be asked to undertake professional language editing before further editorial consideration.

Scientific quality will be assessed independently of the author's country, institution or first language.

Policy Briefs should use clear, accessible language and avoid unnecessary technical terminology to facilitate understanding by policymakers, practitioners and other relevant audiences.

28. Originality, Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

GPJ expects the highest standards of research and publication integrity.

Manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection software.

The following are unacceptable:

• Plagiarism

• Fabrication or falsification of data

• Inappropriate image manipulation

• Duplicate publication

• Undisclosed redundant publication

• Inappropriate authorship

• Citation manipulation

• Deliberate misrepresentation of findings

Suspected misconduct will be handled in accordance with established publication-ethics procedures and may result in rejection, retraction, correction or notification of relevant institutions as appropriate.

GPJ follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

29. Peer Review

GPJ operates a double-blind peer-review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another.

Stage 1: Editorial Screening

The manuscript is assessed for relevance to GPJ's scope, scientific and scholarly quality, originality, ethical compliance and conformity with submission requirements.

A manuscript may be declined at this stage without external review.

Stage 2: External Peer Review

Suitable manuscripts are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise.

For Policy Briefs, reviewers may include individuals with expertise in pharmaceutical policy, regulation, health systems, implementation science or relevant professional practice.

In addition to scholarly quality, Policy Briefs will be evaluated for the credibility of supporting evidence, relevance to policy and practice, analytical rigour, feasibility of recommendations and potential contribution to health-system improvement.

Stage 3: Editorial Decision

Decisions may include:

• Accept

• Minor revision

• Major revision

• Reject with invitation to resubmit

• Reject

Stage 4: Revision

Authors submitting a revised manuscript must provide a clean revised manuscript, a version showing or highlighting changes where requested, and a detailed point-by-point response to reviewers.

Reviewers' comments should be addressed respectfully and individually. Where an author disagrees with a recommendation, a reasoned scientific explanation should be provided.

The final decision on publication rests with the Editor or designated handling editor.

30. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, methodological quality, originality, ethical integrity and relevance to the Journal.

Membership of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, institutional affiliation, nationality, professional status or ability to obtain funding does not determine acceptance for publication.

Editors and reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and recuse themselves where appropriate.

The publication of a Policy Brief does not imply endorsement of its recommendations by GPJ or the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana unless explicitly stated.

31. Copyright and Open Access

GPJ is an open-access journal.

Published articles are made freely available to readers under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) Licence, subject to the Journal's prevailing licensing policy.

Authors retain copyright in their work and grant GPJ and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana the right of first publication and the right to publish, distribute and archive the article.

The applicable Creative Commons licence permits copying, redistribution and adaptation, including for commercial purposes, provided appropriate attribution is given to the original authors and source.

32. Corrections and Retractions

GPJ is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

Where significant errors or concerns are identified after publication, the Journal may issue a correction, editorial notice, expression of concern or retraction, as appropriate.

Cases will be handled according to established publication-ethics principles.

33. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision where they believe a substantial error has occurred in the assessment of their manuscript.

Appeals should identify the manuscript, state clearly the grounds for appeal, and address the scientific or procedural issue rather than merely expressing disagreement with the decision.

Appeals are considered at the discretion of the Editor and do not guarantee reconsideration or external re-review.

Complaints concerning editorial processes, ethical matters or publication conduct should be submitted to the Journal's editorial office.

34. Submission Process

All manuscripts should be submitted through the Ghana Pharmaceutical Journal online submission system.

The corresponding author should ensure that all required files and information have been uploaded before completing the submission.

The following should normally be provided:

1. Title page

2. Blinded manuscript

3. Tables and figures, where submitted separately

4. Supplementary material, where applicable

5. Appropriate reporting guideline documentation, where applicable

6. Cover letter

7. Ethics information

8. Conflict-of-interest declaration

9. Funding information

10. Data Availability Statement

Authors submitting Policy Briefs should select the Policy Briefs manuscript category in the online submission system and follow the specific requirements in Section 9.

35. Cover Letter

The cover letter should briefly identify the manuscript title and article type, explain why the manuscript is relevant to GPJ, identify the principal contribution of the work, confirm that the manuscript is original and is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere, confirm that all authors have approved the submission, and disclose any information relevant to editorial assessment, including related manuscripts or preprints.

For Policy Briefs, the cover letter should also briefly explain the policy relevance of the submission, the intended policy audience and the principal contribution of the recommendations.

Authors need not reproduce the abstract in the cover letter.

36. After Acceptance

Accepted manuscripts undergo editorial processing, which may include scientific editing, copyediting, reference checking, typesetting and proof preparation.

The corresponding author will receive proofs for final review.

Proof corrections should generally be restricted to typographical, factual or production errors. Substantial changes to the accepted manuscript require editorial approval.

Publication follows completion of the Journal's editorial and production processes.

37. Contact

Questions regarding manuscript preparation, submission or editorial matters should be directed to:

Editorial Office
Ghana Pharmaceutical Journal
Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana