Submissions

Author Guidelines

The Journal of Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies for Low- and Middle-Income of healthcare technology, biomedical engineering, health technology management, and health systems Countries (BEST-LMIC) welcomes a diverse range of submissions reflecting the multidisciplinary nature strengthening in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The journal recognizes that valuable contributions arise from research, innovation, implementation experience, policy analysis, systems strengthening, education, and professional practice.

To optimize internal editorial workflows, protect rapid publication turnaround times, and simplify the submission portal for authors, the journal's manuscript categories are organized into six clear, functional classes. Collectively, these streamlined tracks reflect the pathway through which knowledge is translated into impact in LMIC healthcare systems

1. Original Research Articles

Original Research Articles present novel scientific, engineering, educational, or health systems research findings explicitly relevant to healthcare delivery challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Manuscripts in this track must detail a clear, data-driven empirical architecture to guarantee rigorous academic validation. Templates: MS Word PDF

• Structural Requirements: Submissions should describe a clearly defined research question, appropriate methodology, results, and interpretation of findings that contribute new knowledge to the field. They must contain full experimental or clinical datasets and appropriate statistical validation where applicable.

2. Technical Innovations & Design Articles

This track acts as the primary home for hands-on, open-source hardware modifications, software applications, and physical rapid-prototyping blueprints. It values complete technical reproducibility, bench-testing validation, and explicit cost-containment parameters appropriate for low-resource environments. Templates: MS Word PDF

• Structural Requirements: Submissions must describe the conception, development, testing, and evaluation of new technologies, devices, software, systems, or design methodologies intended for application in resource-constrained environments. Papers should focus heavily on practical solutions that improve, adapt, repair, optimize, or extend existing technologies, equipment, or systems suitable for LMICs. Particular emphasis should be placed on the design process, validation, usability, affordability, and a detailed Bill of Materials (BoM). These articles are typically concise and focus on technical details, implementation, and demonstrated results.

3. Field Reports & Case Studies

This track captures observational realities, equipment tracking datasets, and clinical engineering operational experiences directly from deployed healthcare networks. It provides a vital repository for analyzing how technology interfaces with real-world infrastructure constraints, power instability, and environmental factors. Templates: MS Word PDF

• Structural Requirements: Submissions must describe the planning, execution, outcomes, and lessons learned from real-world programs, interventions, or projects conducted in LMIC settings. Emphasis is placed on practical experience, contextual factors, challenges encountered, and insights that may inform similar initiatives elsewhere.

4. Reviews, Policy & Educational Perspectives

This track consolidates high-level academic syntheses, healthcare workforce development strategies, and institutional governance guidelines. It looks at the broader health ecosystem needed to sustain technology rather than individual hardware modifications. Templates: MS Word PDF

• Structural Requirements: Submissions must either provide a comprehensive synthesis and critical analysis of existing literature to identify current knowledge, highlight gaps in the evidence base, and propose directions for future research, policy, or practice; or examine the organizational, regulatory, workforce, financing, management, and governance factors that influence healthcare technology systems in LMICs. Submissions focusing on capacity building may include practical learning resources, instructional guides, training methodologies, educational innovations, or tutorials designed to strengthen knowledge and professional skills among healthcare technology practitioners, educators, and students in LMICs.

5. Editorials, Commentary & Thought Leadership

This track serves as the journal’s front-matter section for commentary, professional debate, and community interaction.

• Structural Requirements: Submissions present informed perspectives on emerging issues, future trends, strategic priorities, or transformative ideas relevant to healthcare technology and biomedical engineering in LMICs to stimulate discussion, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire innovation. This track also accommodates informed opinions, reflections, or analysis on current issues, controversies, policies, technologies, or emerging developments affecting healthcare technology systems, as well as formal letters providing a forum for scholarly dialogue and constructive discussion of articles previously published in BEST-LMIC.

6. Conference & Workshop Proceedings

This dedicated track acts as an independent organizational repository to publish aggregated academic abstracts, symposia summaries, and event outcomes. It operates outside the traditional individual peer-review pipeline, utilizing an independent executive or organizing committee review structure.

• Structural Requirements: Submissions must formally document selected presentations, abstracts, papers, or outcomes from scientific meetings, workshops, and professional gatherings relevant to healthcare technology and biomedical engineering in LMICs. These publications serve to disseminate emerging ideas, foster collaboration, and extend the reach of important discussions within the community.

Journal Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI and Authorship (Standard COPE/ICMJE Compliance)

In strict agreement with international standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Journal of Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (BEST-LMIC) enforces the following authorship rules:

• No Authorship Rights: Generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot) do not meet the criteria for authorship. They cannot be listed as authors or co-authors on any manuscript submitted to the journal.
• Accountability & Legal Obligations: Authorship requires the capacity to take legal and ethical responsibility for the submitted work, manage conflicts of interest, and provide final approval of the version to be published. AI tools cannot meet these human obligations.
• Ultimate Liability: Human authors remain entirely accountable for the accuracy, completeness, and original validity of all content generated, modified, or polished by AI tools.

Permissible vs. Prohibited Uses of AI

To support and empower global researchers, particularly non-native English speakers, while preventing scientific misconduct, we distinguish clearly between linguistic writing assistance and direct content creation:

Permissible Uses (Writing & Technical Support)

• Language and Translation Polishing: Authors may use AI to improve grammatical readability, refine translation layers, and edit spelling errors. This is highly encouraged for non-native English speakers across LMICs.
• Code and Script Formatting: Using AI to format structural software code, clean script architecture, or organize basic data layout elements is permitted.
• Mechanical Editing: Reformatting references, checking layout spacing, or adjusting generic tables according to the journal’s style is allowed.

Prohibited Uses (Content Generation)

• Scientific Synthesis: Authors are strictly prohibited from using generative AI to write core sections of the manuscript, including the literature review, hypothesis development, results analysis, or discussion points.
• Data and Image Generation: Generating, modifying, or altering empirical validation datasets, clinical images, 3D CAD modeling curves, or validation graphs using AI is considered scientific fraud and will result in immediate rejection.
• Literature Hallucinations: Using AI to fabricate or falsely attribute academic citations is prohibited and will be flagged during desk screening.

Mandatory AI Disclosure Protocol

Transparency is essential for maintaining academic credibility. If any generative AI tool has been used in the preparation of a manuscript, authors must disclose its use before the paper can proceed to peer review:

• Disclosure Location: Authors must insert a dedicated 'Declaration of Generative AI Assistance' section directly above the references list. This entry is a mandatory gatekeeping checkpoint on our templates.
• Form of Disclosure: Authors must copy and complete the formatted block below inside their manuscript document:

Negative Affirmation: If no AI assistance was used during the writing process, authors must state: 'The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence tools were used during the creation or structural formatting of this manuscript.'

Editorial Screening & Plagiarism Gates

BEST-LMIC utilizes plagiarism and AI text-matching software during the initial 3-day technical screening phase:

• Unedited Model Footprints: Drafts containing unparaphrased, generic AI linguistic structures or style footprints will fail pre-screening.
• Desk Rejection Gate: If unedited AI text is identified, the paper will be immediately desk-rejected and returned to the authors for manual editing and a complete rewrite.
• Post-Publication Discovery: If uncredited or prohibited AI generation is discovered after publication, the editorial board reserves the right to issue a formal retraction to protect the journal's indexing and citation visibility.