By-Laws and Policies | DOST Publisher

Article 1. Name, Status and Headquarters

Name: The organization shall be known as Digital Open Science Technology Publishers (DOSTP), hereafter referred to as the Publisher.

Establishment and Status: Established in 2026, DOSTP is an independent scholarly publishing organization operating in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Headquarters: 26-II-B-6/2, Commercial Area, Nazimabad No. 2, District Central, Karachi, Pakistan.

Operational Scope: The Publisher may operate nationally and internationally through digital and print publishing, institutional partnerships, and scholarly communication platforms.

Article 2. Vision, Mission and Theme

Vision: To advance global scientific knowledge through credible scholarly publishing and accessible dissemination of research.

Mission: To publish quality research, uphold academic integrity, promote scientific collaboration, and support education and sustainable development.

Organizational Theme: Development through Research and Education.

Article 3. Objectives

Promote Scientific Research and Knowledge Dissemination
Ensure Editorial Quality and Publication Integrity
Advance Digital and Open Scholarly Communication
Encourage Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Research
Promote Innovation and Emerging Technologies

Article 4. Scope of Publishing Activities

Establish and publish national and international scholarly journals.
Publish research articles, reviews, short communications, books, book chapters, and conference proceedings.
Operate digital and print publishing platforms.

Article 5. Governance and Administration

Governance: DOSTP is governed and managed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2017, and the rules and regulations prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

Publisher/Chief Executive: The Publisher or Chief Executive shall lead the organization and be responsible for:

Implementing organizational policies and objectives.
Approving journals and publishing projects.
Appointing administrative and editorial leadership.
Managing institutional partnerships and agreements.
Supervising financial and administrative affairs.
Representing DOSTP in official matters.

Article 6. Advisory Board and Editorial Management

Academic Advisory Board: DOSTP has an Academic Advisory Board comprising eminent academicians and renowned researchers from national and international institutions to provide expert guidance on scholarly publishing and research development.

Editorial Management: Each journal published by DOSTP has its own Editorial Board comprising qualified academicians, researchers, and subject experts responsible for evaluating manuscripts and ensuring scientific integrity and publication quality.

Article 7. Editorial Independence

Editors-in-Chief shall retain authority over manuscript evaluation and editorial decisions.
Decisions will be based on originality, scientific merit, methodological quality, relevance, and ethical compliance.
Financial, commercial, institutional, and personal interests shall not improperly influence editorial decisions.
Editorial appointments shall be based on academic qualifications, expertise, and professional integrity.

Article 8. Peer Review and Publication Procedures

Journals are bound to maintain transparent and documented peer-review policies.
Manuscripts shall undergo editorial screening before external review, where applicable.
Reviewers shall be selected according to subject expertise.
Reviewers shall maintain confidentiality and disclose conflicts of interest.
Editorial decisions may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection.
Authors shall receive clear submission and publication guidelines.
Article processing charges (APC) will not determine manuscript acceptance.

Article 9. Publication Ethics and Academic Integrity

DOSTP shall uphold recognized international principles of scholarly publishing ethics and maintain policies addressing:

Plagiarism and duplicate publication.
Fabrication, falsification, and other research misconduct.
Authorship and contributorship.
Conflicts of interest.
Human and animal research ethics and informed consent, where applicable.
Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.
Complaints, appeals, and peer-review confidentiality.
Responsible use of artificial intelligence in research and publishing.

Article 10. Journal Establishment and Management

DOSTP may establish journals in relevant scientific and academic disciplines.
Each journal shall have a defined title, scope, aims, editorial structure, and publication policies.
Each journal shall appoint an Editor-in-Chief and, where appropriate, Associate Editors and Editorial Board Members.
Author guidelines and editorial policies shall be publicly available.
Journals shall follow declared publication schedules and transparent editorial procedures.
Journal performance and publishing standards shall be periodically evaluated.
Major changes to journal titles, scope, or editorial leadership shall require approval by the governing authority.

Article 11. Authorship, Copyright and Licensing

Authors shall be responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their submissions.
Authorship shall reflect actual scholarly contributions and comply with journal policies.
Copyright ownership, licensing terms, and publication rights shall be clearly communicated before publication.
Open-access and subscription-based publishing arrangements shall follow the policies of the respective journals.
Reuse, distribution, and reproduction of published material shall be governed by the applicable copyright and licensing terms.
The Publisher may adopt open-access, subscription-based, or other lawful publishing models.
Where open-access publishing is adopted, appropriate Creative Commons or other licensing arrangements may be implemented.
Authors shall be informed about any applicable publication charges before submission or during the submission process.
The Publisher shall respect intellectual property rights and applicable copyright legislation.

Article 12. Financial Management

The Publisher shall maintain transparent financial and administrative records.
Financial resources may be generated through publication services, institutional agreements, subscriptions, book sales, publication charges, grants, and other lawful sources.
Publication charges, where applicable, shall be clearly disclosed.
Financial arrangements shall not compromise editorial independence or peer-review integrity.
Organizational funds shall be utilized to support publishing activities, infrastructure, administration, and institutional development.
Financial records shall be maintained in accordance with applicable legal and accounting requirements.
The governing authority shall oversee financial planning and expenditure.

Article 13. International Collaboration and Partnerships

DOSTP may establish academic and professional relationships with:

Universities and higher education institutions.
National and international research organizations.
Scientific societies and professional associations.
Academic publishers and scholarly publishing networks.
Research centers and laboratories.
International indexing and abstracting organizations.

All collaborations shall be consistent with the Publisher’s objectives, ethical principles, and applicable institutional policies.

Article 14. Digital Publishing and Archiving

The Publisher will promote digital-first scholarly publishing while maintaining print publication where appropriate.
Published content will be made available through appropriate digital platforms.
The Publisher will maintain accurate bibliographic metadata and publication records.