ARST Author Guidelines

Write Freely. Submit Easily.

1Initial Submission (First-Time Submission)

ARST follows a format-flexible initial submission policy. Authors are not required to prepare their manuscripts according to ARST formatting at first submission. Any clear, professional and scientifically acceptable format may be used, provided a uniform pattern is followed throughout. The initial review focuses on scientific quality, originality, methodology and significance rather than formatting.

Initial submissions must be original and unpublished; not under consideration elsewhere; ethically conducted and honestly reported; sufficiently detailed for peer review; and compliant with the Similarity and AI Content Policy.

1.1Similarity & AI Content Policy

Originality Screening. Every manuscript is screened for originality before entering the peer-review process. ARST generally expects the overall similarity index to be 20% or below, excluding references, bibliography, quotations, and commonly used scientific terminology or phrases, with no single source exceeding 5%. In addition, the detectable AI-generated content must not exceed 20%. Similarity reports are evaluated by the Editorial Office and do not, by themselves, constitute a determination of plagiarism. Manuscripts substantially exceeding these expectations may be returned to the corresponding author without peer review for necessary revision.

2Final Submission (After Acceptance)

After final acceptance, authors must prepare the accepted manuscript strictly according to the ARST Journal Formatting Instructions, including article layout, title page, headings, Vancouver references, figures, tables, declarations and acknowledgements. Failure to submit the final manuscript in the prescribed format on time may delay publication or lead to withdrawal of acceptance.

The official ARST manuscript template is intended only for accepted manuscripts and is not required for initial submission.

2.1Manuscript Structure (Final Submission)

Original Research Article

• Title page (separate file): title, all authors, affiliations, ORCID iDs, corresponding author contact details, running title.
• Abstract: structured, 250–300 words — Background, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion.
• Keywords: 3–5 terms, preferably drawn from a controlled vocabulary.
• Introduction: context, gap in the literature, and the precise aim of the study.
• Materials and Methods: sufficient detail for replication; instruments, reagents, statistical tests and software versions; ethics approval number where applicable.
• Results: findings presented without interpretation; figures and tables cited in order.
• Discussion: interpretation against existing literature, limitations, and implications.
• Conclusion: a short statement of what the study establishes.
• Declarations: funding, conflict of interest, ethical approval, informed consent, data availability, author contributions.
• Acknowledgements and References.

Figures and Tables

• Figures: minimum 300 dpi, supplied as TIFF, PNG or JPEG, numbered in order of citation, with a caption placed below the figure.
• Tables: supplied as editable text, never as images; numbered in order of citation, with the title above and explanatory footnotes below.
• Every figure and table must be cited in the text and must be legible when printed at single-column width.
• Previously published material requires written permission from the copyright holder and full attribution in the caption.

References — Vancouver Style

References are numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text, cited in the text as superscript numerals, and listed in numerical order at the end of the manuscript.

Review Article

• Title page (separate file), as for original research.
• Unstructured abstract, 250 words maximum.
• Keywords: 3–5 terms.
• Introduction stating the scope and rationale for the review.
• Methodology of the literature search: databases, search strings, date range, inclusion and exclusion criteria.
• Main body organised under thematic subheadings.
• Critical appraisal of the evidence and identification of research gaps.
• Future perspectives.
• Conclusion, declarations and references.

Case Reports

• Title page (separate file), as for original research.
• Unstructured abstract, 150 words maximum.
• Keywords: 3–5 terms.
• Introduction placing the case in clinical or technical context.
• Case presentation: history, examination, investigations, management and outcome, in chronological order.
• Discussion with reference to comparable reported cases.
• Conclusion and the specific learning point for readers.
• Written informed consent from the patient or guardian is mandatory and must be declared.
• Declarations and references.

3Manuscript Types

4Article Processing Charges

Fee waiver: manuscripts submitted on or before 30 November 2026 are published free of charge — no article processing charge applies. The charges below apply only to manuscripts submitted after 30 November 2026.

How to Pay the APC

1. Wait for the formal acceptance letter from the editorial office — no payment is due before acceptance.
2. The acceptance letter carries the payable amount, the invoice number and the journal's bank / UPI details.
3. Remit the amount quoting your manuscript reference number (ARST-YYYY-XXXX) as the payment reference.
4. Email the payment receipt or transaction reference to editor@arstjournal.com.
5. A receipt is issued and the article proceeds to copy-editing, DOI assignment and publication.

5Pre-Submission Checklist