Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) after thorough examination and scrutiny has approved 49 national biomedical journals which have been allotted index of Pakistan numbers. PMDC Registrar Dr. Ahmad Nadeem Akbar said that the certification of a recognised journal would be revised after three years and journals not maintaining requisite standards will be de-recognized and no credit would be given to the articles published in them.

He said these journals were scrutinised and approved by the PMDC's Journals Committee and Editor British Medical Journal. He added each biomedical journal would develop and publish its policy in the light of guidelines provided by the International Committee of Medical Journals Editors. He said plagiarism was a punishable offence and the accused author would be liable for disciplinary action.

The case would be referred to the disciplinary committee by the editor, he added. He said the editors of PMDC recognised journals would keep raw data of each manuscript in record for a period of five years for scrutiny by the council whenever required in respect of all published original research articles. Dr. Nadeem said editorial board of the journal would be headed by a person from medical and dental profession and each article must be reviewed at least by two peers.

He said publication of index, both subject index and author index must be published annually and performance of each recognized journal would be reviewed once in three years by the Council. However, a new journal would be reviewed after it has published four issues, he added. He said if journal's committee at any time feels that the performance of the Journal has deteriorated to such an extent that it does not warrant recognition anymore, the editor of the journal will be served a show cause notice and after giving full opportunity, the committee will prepare its recommendations and final decision about the de-recognition.

He said PMDC will correspond with the editor or the focal person of the journal. He added for maintenance of recognition all journals will maintain a website and PMDC will give linkages to all journals from Council's website. It was agreed upon the medical and dental journals will be recognized by the Council for a period of three years, however new journals will be reviewed after two years, adding, only those new journals will be considered for recognition which have published at least four issues. Following is the list of PMDC approved 49 biomedical journals: Pakistan Medical Research Journal, Islamabad, Journal of Medical Association, Karachi, Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Heart Journal, Karachi, Pakistan Oral and Dental Journal, Islamabad, Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Journal of Pharmacology, Karachi, Pakistan Journal of Ophthalmology Lahore, Biomedical, Lahore, Pakistan Journal of Surgery, Karachi, Pakistan Journal of Otolaryngology Karachi, Journal of PGMI, Peshawar, Journal of Pakistan Dental Association, Karachi, Proceedings, Lahore.

The Journal of Pakistan orthopedic Association, Lahore, Journal of Medical Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan Journal of Pathology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Journal of Cardiology, Karachi, Journal of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan journal of Gastroentrology, Lahore, Annals of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, Infectious Disease Journal, Karachi, Journal of Surgery Pakistan, Karachi, Journal of Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi, Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan Journal of Obst.

and Gynee, Islamabad, Pakistan Journal of Cardiovascular and Thorasic Surgery, Karachi, Journal of Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore, Journal of Liaquat University Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Gomal Journal of Medical Sciences, Dera Ismail Khan, International Journal of Pathology, Islamabad, Annals of PIMS, Islamabad, Al-Shifa Journal of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Journal of Physiology, Abbottabad, Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences, Karachi, Journal of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Journal of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Rawal Medical Journal, Journal of Pakistan Psychiatric Society, Peshawar, Ophthalmology Update Islamabad, Anaesthesia, Pain and Intensive Care, The Professional, Faisalabad, The Esculapio Lahore, Journal of Allama Iqbal medical College Lahore, Annals of Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, Medical Channel Karachi, Pakistan Paediatric Journal, Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences Lahore, Pakistan Medical Forum Monthly Lahore and Annals of King Edward Medical University Lahore.