The Research Evaluation Unit (REU) of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) has issued an important notice for all CPSP trainees. According to this notice, research articles published in seven specific journals will no longer be accepted to satisfy the CPSP research article requirement. The notice requires strict compliance and is effective from 1st October 2026.
This notice is currently being displayed as a pop-up alert on the CPSP trainee e-Portal. Trainees who log in to the e-Portal will see it on their screen.
Journals not accepted by CPSP
The following journals have been listed in the notice:
- Genetics and Molecular Research
- Apposta: revista de ciencias sociales
- International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology
- Journal of Carcinogenesis
- TPM-Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology
- European Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
- Cureus
All trainees have been strictly advised not to submit to, or consider publications in, the above journals for any CPSP-related requirement.
What this means for FCPS trainees
Publication of a research article is a mandatory requirement for FCPS trainees. If the article is published in any of the listed journals, it will not be counted towards this requirement. This applies to Cureus as well, which has been a common choice among trainees because of its quick review and publication process.
Trainees who are preparing a manuscript at present should take the following steps:
- Check the target journal’s name against the list above before submission.
- Do not submit new manuscripts to any of these journals for CPSP purposes.
- If a manuscript is already under review in one of these journals, consider withdrawing it and submitting it to a suitable recognised journal.
- Choose a journal recognised by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), with a proper peer review process. The current lists are available on our CPSP-PM&DC and HEC-approved journals page.
- In case of any doubt about an article that was submitted, accepted or published before 1st October 2026, contact the Research Evaluation Unit of CPSP directly for clarification.
Research support by UPMED
UPMED supports postgraduate trainees at every step of their research work. Our services include synopsis writing as per CPSP and UHS requirements, manuscript writing and editing, data analysis, reducing Turnitin similarity and AI scores, and guidance on selecting a suitable PM&DC- and HEC-recognised journal. This helps trainees avoid journals not accepted by CPSP and complete their research requirements on time.
If you experience any issues, please contact UPMED via WhatsApp at 0304 2397393 or email us at [email protected].