Submissions

Brief Reports include single-finding papers that can be reported with one or two illustrations (figures/tables), descriptions of unexpected observations, and lab protocols. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

A medical Case Report should be original and provide adequate detail of a single patient case. It does not need to describe an especially novel or unusual case as there is benefit from collecting details of many standard cases. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Case Studies are a process or record of research into the development of a person, group or situation over a period of time. They are an empirical inquiry that investigate research application through real-life context or imagined scenarios A description of a legal case or a hypothetical case study used as a teaching exercise would also fit into this category. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Clinical Practice Articles describe case series (i.e. group or series of case reports involving patients who were given similar treatment), but should not be based on a single case (single cases are published as Case Reports). For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Data Notes are brief descriptions of scientific datasets that promote the potential reuse of research data and include details of why and how the data were created; they do not include any analyses or conclusions. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Essays are analytic or interpretive literary opinions on a single topic. This could include work outlining a reflective argument or a personal point of view. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

We welcome new study methods, substantive modifications to existing methods or innovative applications of existing methods to new models or research questions. The peer review focuses on whether the paper has academic merit and whether adequate detail has been provided to enable others to reproduce and use the method. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Open Letters usually discuss policies relevant to a broad research community, present guidelines or white papers, or announce new initiatives. They do not include new data and analysis. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Research Articles should present original findings, such as the results of basic and translational research, clinical and epidemiologic studies, or clinical trials, as well as qualitative and observational research. Null and negative findings, as well as re-analyses and replications of previous studies leading to new results are all encouraged. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Reviews should provide a balanced and comprehensive overview of the latest discoveries in a particular subject area. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

A Software Tool Article should include the rationale for the development of the tool and details of the code used for its construction. The article should provide examples of suitable input data sets and include an example of the output that can be expected from the tool and how this output should be interpreted. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Study Protocols describe in detail any study design, including (but not limited to) experimental design of basic, translational and applied research, clinical trials or systematic reviews. All protocols for randomised clinical trials must be registered and follow the SPIRIT guidelines. Study pre-protocols (i.e. discussing provisional study designs) may also be submitted and will be clearly labelled as such when published. Study Protocols for pilot and feasibility studies may also be considered. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

Systematic Reviews should usually be based on medical interventions or animal model studies. Systematic Reviews should deal with a clearly formulated question and use systematic and explicit methods to identify, select, and critically assess the relevant research. Systematic Reviews should be written following the PRISMA reporting guidelines. For more information, see our Article Guidelines.

An empirical article whose methods and proposed analyses are published and reviewed before the research is carried out, guarding against inadequate statistical power and selective reporting of results.