Guidelines

SLBMJ invites high-quality submissions in the fields of strategic leadership and business management. Authors are expected to submit original, evidence-based research work, including research articles, reviews, policy papers, case studies, and letters to the editor/editorial. All submissions must strictly follow the journal’s guidelines, which are aligned with internationally recognized standards set by COPE and DOAJ. Compliance ensures the ethical conduct of research, transparency, and the integrity of the peer review process. Authors are encouraged to review these guidelines carefully before submission to facilitate a smooth and efficient editorial process.

Types of Manuscript Accepted

  • Original Research Articles: Empirical studies contributing original findings to leadership and business management.
  • Review Articles: Systematic or narrative reviews synthesizing existing research.
  • Conceptual/Theoretical Papers: Development of models, frameworks, or theories.
  • Case Studies: Analytical studies of organizations or managerial practices.
  • Policy & Practice Papers: Evidence-based analyses informing management and governance.
  • Short Research Communications: Brief reports of novel or preliminary findings.
  • Methodological Papers: Studies on research methods and analytical techniques.
  • Letter to the Editor / Editorials: Short, focused commentaries or viewpoints on previously published articles, current trends, emerging issues, or important developments in leadership and business management.

Submission Process

  • Register/Login: Create an account or log in to the submission portal.
  • Upload Files: Submit the manuscript and supplementary materials.
  • Metadata: Provide all required information (e.g., author details, corresponding author, keywords).
  • Acknowledgement/Declarations: Acknowledgement of Copyrights Statement, AI Usage Declaration, and Conflicts of Interest.

You may refer to the Submission Process Guide on the journal website. Once you have submitted the article, all correspondence will be sent by email. In case of any submission-related queries, please send an email to editor@slbmj.com

Submission Requirements

  • Originality: Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Language: All submissions must be in English (British or American spelling is acceptable, but should be consistent).
  • Submission Platform: Manuscripts must be submitted via the SLBMJ website submission portal.
  • Supplementary Materials: Authors may include datasets or any additional files as part of their submission.
  • Acknowledgements & Declarations: AI Usage Declaration, Copyrights, and Conflict of Interests must be submitted at the time of submission.
  • Authorship Letter (available in Downloads)
  • Authors undertaking form submission (available in Downloads)

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission’s compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors who do not adhere to these guidelines.

  • The submission has not been previously published, nor submitted before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
  • Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
  • The text adheres to the stylistics and bibliographic requirements outlined.
  • A maximum of six authors is allowed in a manuscript.
  • A maximum of four tables/figures is allowed, but we may consider more depending on data analysis and its importance.

Formatting Guidelines

  • Font and Spacing: Use Times New Roman, size 12, single-line spacing, justified alignment.
  • Figures and Tables: All illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
  • Abbreviations: Define at first use and include a list at the end of the manuscript.
  • Word Count:
    • Original Research Articles: up to 5,000 words
    • Review Articles: up to 6,000 words
    • Conceptual / Theoretical Papers: up to 4,000 words
    • Case Studies: up to 3,000 words
    • Policy & Practice Papers: up to 3,500 words
    • Short Research Communications: up to 1,500 words
    • Methodological Papers: up to 4,000 words
    • Letter to Editor / Editorials: up to 1500 words

This word count excludes abstract, references, tables, and figures. All manuscript types are double-blind peer reviewed. Slight deviations may be permitted at the discretion of the Editor.

Article Publication Charges

  • Authors from Pakistan: PKR 5,000/- (Only Processing fee & non-refundable)
  • Authors from Overseas: USD 25 (Only Processing fee & non-refundable)
  • An article processing fee is required at the time of submission to proceed with the peer-review process.
  • There are no publication charges applicable to accepted manuscripts.   
  • Payments for processing and publication can be made via online bank transfer or bank deposit. Cheques are not accepted.
  • Bank Details for Local Payments (Pakistan): 
    Bank Name: Meezan Bank
    Branch: Karim Block
    Account Title: Physio Rehab & Research Center (Pvt) Ltd.
    Account #: 02840106834789
    SWIFT Code / IBAN: PK39MEZN0002840106834789
  • International Payments: Authors may pay in USD using the bank IBAN provided. Payment Confirmation: For online deposits, a copy of the receipt should be emailed to editor@slbmj.com
  • Note: A maximum of six authors is allowed. 
  • Print version of any issue will be provided on request, along with additional charges that the editor will decide.

Manuscript Preparation

  • Title: The title should be concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.
  • Running title: Write a short running title on the title page.
  • Author names and affiliations: Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the city and country name, and the e-mail address of each author.
  • Corresponding author: Indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure that the e-mail addresses and contact numbers are given. The corresponding author details should be included on the title page.
  • Abstract: The structured abstract should comprise the following: Background, Objective, Methodology, Results, Conclusion. A concise and factual abstract is required of a maximum of 300 words. The abstract should state the purpose of the research briefly, the principal results, and the major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, references should be avoided. Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential, they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.
  • Keywords: Immediately after the abstract, provide 4 – 6 keywords aligned with the research title. Avoid general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.
  • Units and Abbreviations: This journal does not favor abbreviations in the text. However, commonly used terms do not require spelling out in full at first mention (they would usually appear within parentheses), but even when presented outside of parentheses, they do not require defining. The journal uses an approved list of units and abbreviations.
  • Introduction: State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.
  • Methodology: Provide sufficient details to allow the work to be reproduced by an independent researcher. Methods that are already published should be summarized and indicated by a reference. If quoting directly from a previously published method, use quotation marks and also cite the source. Any modifications to existing methods should also be described.
  • Results: Results should be clear and concise. Present key findings using tables and figures where appropriate.
  • Discussion: This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature. Interpret findings, acknowledge limitations, and compare with existing research.
  • Conclusion: The main conclusion of the study should be presented in a short concluding paragraph after the end of the discussion section. Summarize the study’s significance and implications.
  • Conflict of Interest: To prevent the information on potential conflict of interest for authors from being overlooked or misplaced, that information must be part of the manuscript. It should therefore also be included after the conclusion.
  • Figures & Tables: Ensure that each figure has a caption that comprises a brief title or a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum, but explain all symbols and abbreviations used. Please submit tables as editable text and not as images. Write captions below the table and place them next to the relevant text in the article. Number the tables consecutively following their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body. The maximum number of tables/figures to be included is 4; however, in some cases, additional ones may be considered due to their importance.

References

  • Follow Vancouver style with a minimum of 20 references.
  • Number references sequentially as they appear in the text.
  • For three authors or fewer, list all; for more than three, use “et al.”
  • Use the full journal title or “non-abbreviated journal name”.
  • All references mentioned in the reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa.
  • Permission has been obtained for the use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Internet).

Reference Examples

  • Journal Article: Porter ME. What is strategy? Harvard Business Review. 1996;74(6):61–78.
  • Online Sources: Kotter JP. Leading change: why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2024 May 10]. Available from: https://hbr.org
  • Reports/Institutional Publications: World Bank. World Development Report 2022: Finance for an Equitable Recovery. Washington (DC): World Bank Publications; 2022.
  • Conference Proceedings: Eisenhardt KM, Graebner ME. Theory building from cases. In: Proceedings of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting; 2007 Aug 3–8; Philadelphia, USA. Briarcliff Manor (NY): Academy of Management; 2007. p. 25–30.
  • Book: Robbins SP, Judge TA. Organizational Behavior. 18th ed. Boston (MA): Pearson Education; 2022.
  • Chapter in an Edited Book: Hambrick DC. Upper echelons theory. In: Tsui AS, Walsh JP, editors. The Oxford Handbook of Management Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2013. p. 96–122. 

Ethical Considerations

  • Consent for Publication: Obtain written consent for any identifiable information, including case reports.
  • Conflict of Interest: Declare all financial and non-financial competing interests.
  • Funding Transparency: Disclose all funding sources and their roles in the study.

Post-Acceptance Process

  • Proofreading and Copyediting: Manuscripts are reviewed for language, clarity, and formatting.
  • DOI Assignment: Each article is assigned a unique DOI for permanent access.
  • Proof Approval: Authors must review and approve final proofs before publication.

Open-Access Policy

This is an open-access journal; all articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), will be free for everyone to read, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction with proper attribution.

Conflict of Interest

To prevent the information on potential conflict of interest for authors from being overlooked or misplaced, that information must be part of the manuscript. It should therefore also be included as a single line in the manuscript.

Submission Declaration & Verification

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture, or academic thesis, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright holder. If additional papers have or will be published with any overlap of the current dataset, it is the authors’ responsibility to notify the editor at the time of submission.

Changes to Authorship

Authors are expected to consider the list and the order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in the author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal, or rearrangement. In the case of the addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed. The editor can consider the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted only in exceptional circumstances. While the editor considers the request, the publication of the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any requests approved by the editor will result in a corrigendum.

Authorship Letter

The corresponding author has to submit an authorship letter at the time of submission of the manuscript, duly signed by all co-authors, along with a description of their contributions, affiliations, and email addresses. Declaration of any potential conflict of interest, transfer of copyrights, and funding will also be mentioned in it.

Double-Blind Peer Review

This journal operates a double-blind review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Manuscripts deemed suitable are then typically sent to two independent expert reviewers (one national and one international) to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor’s decision is final.

Editorials

SLBMJ publishes editorials on the journal’s scope of publication fields. Editorials are usually commissioned; however, anyone wishing to write an editorial should contact the Journal Editor for discussion about the topic. Editorials should be no more than 1500 words with a maximum of three authors and 20 references. Commissioned editorials are not formally peer-reviewed, but may be subject to informal review. Non-commissioned editorials will be formally peer-reviewed.

Final Submission Checklist

The following list will be useful during the final checking of an article before sending it to the journal for review. All necessary files have been uploaded. Ensure that the following items are present:

  • One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:
    • Institution affiliation
    • E-mail address
  • Keywords
  • All figure and table captions
  • All tables (including title, description, and footnotes)
  • Further considerations
  • The manuscript has been spell-checked and grammar-checked. References are in the correct format for this journal.
  • All references mentioned in the reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa
  • Permission has been obtained for the use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Internet)