Welcome to the PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (PDA JPST) “Author Resources” page!
Note: If you have not submitted to the PDA JPST before, please read the information on this page. If you are familiar with the process, please click here to proceed with your Submission.
You are about to submit an article to one of the oldest peer-review journals dedicated to the manufacture of sterile drug products! JPST is freely accessible to well over 20,000 professionals through either their individual membership to PDA or through the 145 institutional subscriptions. Anyone can purchase an article for a small fee.
Click on the links below to navigate through the topics on this page. You can also download our author's guide 
.
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Editorial Policies
PDA JPST welcomes manuscripts on the science and technology involved in pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical manufacturing and quality, with an emphasis on parenteral products and sterile processing. We particularly want to encourage a breadth of scope ranging from small molecules (i.e., pharmaceuticals) to large proteins, from cell substrates (i.e., biopharmaceuticals) to final sterile product processing, filling, and packaging. Articles addressing emerging areas like cell and gene therapies, also known as “advanced therapeutic medicinal products” (ATMPs), are particularly encouraged.
PDA JPST is not an open access journal. Free access to manuscripts is restricted to members and subscribers; however, articles can be purchased for a small fee by nonsubscribers. PDA JPST does not charge authors submission fees.
The Editor reserves the right to edit the manuscript for length, grammar, spelling, and clarity, as well as modify or delete any inflammatory or vulgar language. The Editor and editorial staff would work with the author on any further modifications.
Author Responsibilities
Failure to follow the author submission guidelines may result in immediate rejection of a manuscript.
Any manuscripts submitted to the PDA JPST must be an original work, one that has not already been published or is currently under consideration by another journal. By submitting to PDA JPST, the authors are taking public responsibility for the legality and originality of the work.
Authors must include a "Conflict of Interest Declaration" as part of each submission in which they must declare any financial or nonfinancial competing interests related to the manuscript. In the published paper, this information will be listed following the conclusion. This declaration in no way affects the scientific peer review; it is solely intended to ensure that any competing interest is fully disclosed.
If there are no competing interests, authors can write “The author(s) declare that they have no conflict of interests.”
NOTE: Authors will be asked to submit a signed Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA) form prior to publication. This is required, and your manuscript will not be published until the CTA is received. If the Corresponding Author can sign for all coauthors, he/she can submit it. If not, each author needs to submit a separate CTA.
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Pre-Submission: How Do I?
This section will guide you through the various elements of creating a manuscript acceptable for submission to PDA JPST, including the various article types, how to set up the manuscript, and choosing recommended reviewers.
How Do I Select a Manuscript Type?
You need to know what kind of manuscript you want to submit. Review the table below for descriptions of the Manuscript Types currently accepted by PDA JPST. Please select the type that most closely matches your manuscript. If you’re unsure which to choose, or you have a manuscript that does not fit these manuscript types, contact the PDA JPST Editor at journal@pda.org.
NOTE: The Editor retains the right to reclassify the manuscript should it be deemed to better fit a different category.
Manuscript Type |
Description |
Specifications |
|---|---|---|
Editorial |
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Letter to the Editor |
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Commentary |
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Original ResearchPapers |
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Technology Application,Including Case Studies |
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Reviews |
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Meeting Proceedings |
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How Do I Prepare My Manuscript?
All manuscripts submitted to PDA JPST must be original works that have not been published previously and have not been submitted for publication elsewhere. Material borrowed from another source must include a reference to that source. Material directly duplicated from another source must be in quotation marks (“quote") and referenced. Any graphics, figures, photos, tables, equations, etc., taken from another source must be licensed to the author(s) by the original owner of such materials.
Examples of a properly prepared manuscript are available in the “Accepted Articles” section of the PDA JPST website.
Body/Text
NOTE: All manuscripts must be clearly written in American English, without grammatical and spelling errors. Authors are encouraged to use an editorial service (e.g., AJE, Blue Pencil Science, or Editage), a scientific style guide (e.g., The ACS Style Guide), a peer editor (e.g., colleague), or a combination thereof, to help ensure the high quality of their writing.
All text in manuscripts, including tables, must be submitted in the following format (variation may cause delays):
- Created in Microsoft Word, 12-point type, double-spaced, 1” or 1.5” margins, aligned flush left (NOT justified), using Times New Roman, Courier, Helvetica, or Arial type font.
- Pages numbered consecutively, except for the page(s) of figure captions
Present the manuscript content in the following order:
- Title Page including:
- Manuscript title — Concise and descriptive
- List of authors — Should include full names of the authors in the order they should appear in the final article, their organization affiliations, and organization locations; only the email address of the Corresponding Author appears on the manuscript
- Corresponding Author — Name and contact information, including postal address, phone number, and email address. Please ensure one of the two email addresses provided is unlikely to change should your affiliation change
- Abstract and Keyword Page
- Abstract — 300 words maximum
- Key Words — 6-8 relevant, searchable terms
- Content
- Acknowledgement(s) — If applicable
- Conflict of Interest Declaration — See Editorial Policies
- References — See References
- Tables — Labeled with table numbers and titles (see Tables)
- Figures — See instructions for Figures. (Figures should not be included in the manuscript; they are added automatically from uploaded images when the manuscript is converted during submission.)
- Figure Captions — Labeled with figure numbers and titles (see Figure Captions)
- Appendices/Supplemental Material — In any appendix, all equations, tables, and figures should be labeled with the letter “A” preceding the appropriate numeral (e.g., A-1, A-2) to distinguish them from those cited in the main body of the text. If there are multiple appendices, they should be numbered A1, A2, etc. (see Appendices/Supplemental Material)
NOTE: Do not use abbreviations in the title or abstract and limit their use in the text. Expand all abbreviations at first mention in the text. Pages should be numbered consecutively, except for the page(s) of figure captions.
Research articles should include the following sections: Introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.
Footnotes
Footnotes to material in the text should be indicated by superscript Arabic numerals (e.g., sodium chloride1).
References
The PDA JPST follows The ACS Style Guide for references.
Literature citations should be identified by bold-face Arabic numerals in parentheses (e.g., Smith and Jones (1) found that….) and numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited.
Authors are responsible for ensuring references are correct and complete:
- Journal articles must include the name(s) of author(s), title of the article, journal name, year, volume number, and page number(s) (e.g., RI Gross, Testing of Laminar Flow Equipment, J Pharm Sci Technol, 1978 Jul-Aug; 32(4), 174-81).
- Books must include the author(s)’ surname(s) and initials, title of the book, volume, edition, name of publisher, place of publication, year of publication and, if relevant, page number(s) (e.g., Havener, WH. Ocular Pharmacology, 3rd ed.; C. V. Mosby: St. Louis, Mo., 1974, p.18).
- Any “in press” articles that are included in the list of references should be made available to the editorial office, if requested.
Tables
Tables should be well organized and carefully constructed to provide clarity of the data.
Tables should be created using the Word “Insert\Table” function or copied from a spreadsheet (not aligned using tabs, spaces, or returns).
Data presented in tables should not repeat data given in figures.
All tables must be referenced in the body of the manuscript and numbered consecutively using Roman numerals (e.g., Table I, Table II). Tables in an Appendix should be proceeded by “A” (e.g., Table A-I, Table A-II); if there are multiple appendices, they should be numbered A1, A2, etc., and the tables numbered accordingly (e.g., A1-I, A2-II).
Each table should be identified by table number and a brief, descriptive title.
Color should not be used in tables. If a table must appear in color, for example in a risk matrix, it must be submitted as a high-resolution graphic file and should be cited as a figure (see Figures and Figure Captions).
Any notations made in tables should be identified in superscript alpha lettersa and their legendb should appear directly below the table (e.g., aScoring based on efficacy; bCQA based on risk assessment result).
Figures
Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions for all figures, tables, or text reproduced from works that have already been published. Written permission must be obtained from the publisher (copyright owner) of a journal or book. As a professional courtesy, obtaining permission from the author is also encouraged.
All figures must be referenced in the text of the manuscript and numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2). If you do not reference all figures, the BenchPress Submission Tool will reject your submission automatically, and you will receive a “conversion error” notice.
Prepare Your Figures
You worked very hard on your manuscript, and you want readers to see and read your figures! To ensure your photos and graphs are clear and viewable, it is critical you follow the instructions below to prepare them for submission to JPST.
- Figures must be high resolution (minimum 300 dpi). Images of lesser resolution (< 300 dpi) will appear blurry and/or pixilated and cannot be processed; they will be returned to the Corresponding Author.
- The only acceptable file types for figures are: JPEG, TIFF, or EPS. Figure files must be named according to their number/sequence in the text (e.g., Figure 1.jpg, Figure 2.tiff).
- Figure files must be uploaded separately from the manuscript into the BenchPress Submission Tool in the order they should appear.
- Graphs, charts, drawings, and photos embedded in the manuscript are not acceptable; neither are the following file types: any file using OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) technology to display information or embed files, Bitmap (.bmp), PICT (.pict), Excel (.xls), Photoshop (.psd), Canvas (.cnv), CorelDRAW (.cdr), Visio (.vsd), and locked or encrypted PDFs.
- Charts and graphs created in Excel, Word, or other programs must be converted to one of the three acceptable file types (i.e., JPEG, TIFF, or EPS) in high resolution format (minimum 300 dpi) files. There are many online resources you can use to help you convert your files. Here are a few:
- All symbols, notations, and axis labels must be large enough to be legible when reduced for publication; a four-fold reduction is a useful guide.
- All drawings must be illustrated in black lines on a white background.
- Remove all figures from your manuscript after making the high-resolution image files (JPEG, TIFF, or EPS) and save them with the proper file names. Figure files must be named according to their number in the text (e.g., Figure 1.jpg, Figure 2.tiff).
NOTE: Image files should NOT be in the manuscript when uploaded to the BenchPress Submission Tool.
Important: A picture of a table is not a figure; a table must be referenced and labeled as a table. Any table that should appear in color, however, such as matrices, must be submitted as a graphic file and labeled as a figure.
Figure Captions
Figure Captions should be listed using Arabic numerals in consecutive order (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2) with a descriptive title/caption.
List all Figure Captions on a separate page at the end of the manuscript, identified by number and title. The Figure Number in the caption and the Figure File Name must correspond, per instruction #2 (e.g., Figure 2/Figure-2.jpeg).
Appendices/Supplemental Material
Appendices can be attached to your manuscript, that is, included as a part of the manuscript file content. See instructions for identifying and numbering Tables and Figures in appendices.
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How Do I Recommend Potential Reviewers?
The Corresponding Author must recommend at least three qualified reviewers for peer review; ultimately, however, the final selection of reviewers will be at the discretion of the Editor.
Qualified reviewers from organizations or institutions with which you and your coauthors are affiliated are not eligible to review your work.
Authors should avoid suggesting reviewers who may have financial, academic, commercial, political, or personal interest in the work described in your manuscript. Financial interests may include employment, research funding (received or pending), stock or share ownership, patents, payment for lectures or travel, consultancies, nonfinancial support, or any fiduciary interest in a company.
Recommended reviewers will be entered into a required field in the the BenchPress Submission and Review website (see "How/Where Do I Submit My Manuscript?").
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How/Where Do I Submit My Manuscript?
Important: The Corresponding Author must use the BenchPress Submission and Review website to submit a manuscript, which requires registration. Instructions are available on the login page.
BEFORE you submit your manuscript, check that it conforms to the instructions in the “Prepare My Manuscript” section, that you have completed all editing, and that you have removed all comments and watermarks from the document.
PDA JPST has prepared detailed instructions to help authors navigate through this process. Records for all authors (name, institution, and email) must be complete before a manuscript will be processed; only the email of the Corresponding Author appears on the article. To ensure a successful submission, author(s) must follow the submission instructions provided in the “PDA JPST Online Submission Guide.” Notes and tips (denoted with the icon 
) are provided throughout the process.
The following elements of your submission must be entered in the fields provided in the submission tool (i.e., the following fields are required):
- Manuscript Details
- Cover Letter, addressed to the Editor, to include:
- Complete contact information for the Corresponding Author (affiliation, postal address, email address, telephone number)
- Reason you chose PDA JPST
- Brief summary of the article, highlighting anything unique or important about your work
- Any other information you want to relay about your manuscript
- Select manuscript type (see Manuscript Type)
- Title (NOTE: The title must also be included in your text submission.)
- Accepted Article: You must choose "yes" if you want your article to be published as an unedited, unformatted PDF following successful peer-review prior to publication in a JPST issue.
- Cover Letter, addressed to the Editor, to include:
- Abstract and Keywords
- Copy the abstract from your manuscript and paste it into the field provided.
- Copy the keywords from your manuscript and paste them into the field provided.
- Reviewer Suggestions
- Authors
- File Details
- Enter number of manuscript pages
- Enter number of figures
- Enter number of figure pieces
- Enter number of tables
- File Upload
- Upload manuscript by clicking the "select files" link in the "drop manuscript files here" box.
- Upload files for figures by clicking "select files" in the "drop image files here" box.
The following are key aspects of the submission process that routinely stymie successful submission, causing unnecessary and frustrating delays:
- Failure to paste the cover letter into the field provided. NOTE: Please do not include your cover letter in the file with your manuscript; you must cut and paste it into the field provided on the Submission website.
- Choice of manuscript type not listed (see How do I Select a Manuscript Type?)
- Names and contact information of at least three, and up to four, recommended reviewers not entered into the online submission form. To ensure a fair and objective review process, preferred reviewers must not be from the authors’ institutions and must not be contacted prior to submission.
- Failure to write an abstract and provide keywords
- Complete package of manuscript in Microsoft Word format, and figures in high resolution JPEG, TIFF, or EPS (no less than 300 dpi) files. More detailed information is provided in the Figures and Figure Captions sections.
To visit the BenchPress Submission and Review website, click here.
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Post-Submission: What Should I Expect?
Editorial Review
Once a manuscript is successfully submitted, all communications are conducted through the BenchPress Submission and Review website. Authors will be notified by email upon receipt of their successfully submitted manuscript and of all subsequent editorial and review decisions. During the review process, authors can check the status of their submitted manuscripts on the BenchPress Submission and Review website. Authors should not disclose to anyone, except coauthors and contributors, the fact that their manuscript has been submitted without first obtaining permission from the Editor.
The PDA JPST editorial staff will review your submission to ensure your manuscript complies with the “How Do I Prepare My Manuscript” instructions and that each element meets the requirements defined in the table of "Manuscript Types." They will contact you with any questions. The better you have prepared your manuscript, the more quickly it will be processed.
The Editor reviews the manuscript and decides if the editorial and review process will proceed. Oversight of the peer review may be assigned to an associate editor who sits on the PDA JPST Editorial Board. Authors will be notified at any point in the process if their manuscript is rejected and for what reason.
Editors evaluate manuscripts on the following criteria:
- Topic relevant to the PDA JPST Mission and Vision
- Topic of general interest to PDA JPST readers
- Originality and importance of information to industry
- Clear, concise, and quality writing, with few grammatical and spelling errors
Manuscripts that do not meet the above criteria are rejected promptly.
Peer Review
Manuscripts submitted to the PDA JPST are routinely vetted by subject matter experts through a single-blind peer-review process, that is, peer reviewer identities are kept confidential (unless reviewers choose to reveal their names in their formal reviews), while author identities are made known to reviewers. This ensures that articles are scientifically rigorous and meet the high standards of this publication. Reviewers examine a submission to determine if the research methodology is sound, the data is valid, and the conclusions are reasonable and supported by the information provided. Reviewers also determine the timeliness and relevance of the material, provide feedback to the author based on their own expertise and experience, and question any areas of the content that may need clarification or elaboration.
Only peer reviewers and the editorial staff know that a manuscript is under review. Peer reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality about the manuscripts they review and may not reveal any information about a specific manuscript or its content to a third party without prior permission from the PDA JPST editors.
Appeals
Authors may appeal decisions. All appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief on a case-by-case basis, or by a designated associate editor if the Editor-in-Chief is recused from the review. The decision made after appeal is final.
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Publication Process
Manuscripts accepted for publication following peer review go through the process described below. On average, papers are published in one of the six editions of the PDA JPST issued each year within six months of their acceptance.
NOTE: In the initial acceptance email, you will be asked to submit a signed Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA) form. This is required. Your manuscript will not be published until the CTA has been received.
Accepted Articles
Once your manuscript has completed the editorial and peer-review process, has been accepted for publishing, and the CTA has been received, authors have the option of allowing their paper to be published in the “Accepted Articles” portion of the PDA JPST website.
Accepted Articles are published as is within 45 days of acceptance. These are unedited, unformatted manuscripts that have been accepted for publication by the PDA JPST Editor following peer review. In other words, it will appear exactly as submitted after peer review.
Accepted Articles are assigned a “digital object identifier” (DOI), which makes them fully citable. Once the manuscript is published as a final article in an edition of PDA JPST, the Accepted Article will be removed from the website.
NOTE: Authors must choose to have their manuscript published in the Accepted Articles section when submitting their manuscript (see “How/Where Do I Submit My Manuscript”). By doing so, authors agree that NO EDITS OR CHANGES will be made to this version.
Editing and Typesetting
All manuscripts published in PDA JPST are professionally copyedited and typeset to conform to the Journal's standard formatting. The Corresponding Author will be provided a link to the PDA JPST online proofing and correction tool, where page proofs of the typeset manuscript can be reviewed. Authors are asked to review changes, respond to queries, and submit their changes promptly.
The requested corrections will be incorporated, and a PDF of the revised proof will be sent to the Corresponding Author for final approval via email. Authors are requested to review the typeset proof and send it to the editorial staff within the timeframe specified (usually two days) or risk delayed publication of their final manuscript
Publication
Manuscripts will be published in the next issue of PDA JPST, usually within 45 days following typesetting.